Her Savior, His Light
by Rylee87
Summary: Arianna moved to Gotham, hoping to forget her past. Things were going fine until she starts falling for Bruce Wayne. Try as she might she can't ignore her feelings so she ignores Bruce. What will happen when someone from her past shows up?
1. Chapter 1

**Arianna moved to Gotham, hoping to forget her past. Things were going fine until she starts falling for Bruce Wayne. Try as she might she can't ignore her feelings so she ignores Bruce. What will happen when someone from her past shows up? Will she make peace with her past? Or will she succumb to her darkest desire?**

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She stood glaring at her enemy. The battle had long since been lost, but she would not give up. She could be very stubborn and she was not ready to lose. She picked up her weapon of choice then began once more to try and win the chaotic battle.

Arianna Cooper spent half the morning trying to fix her hair. She wasn't one of those people who had to have their hair just right. She had very frizzy hair that would not cooperate with her and she refused to show up at work with her hair sticking in all directions.

After ten more minutes Arianna finally gave up. She decided to put her shoulder length brown hair into a bun so she wouldn't have to worry about it. She wore simple blue jeans with her light blue shirt. Arianna took one last look at herself and when she was satisfied she grabbed her purse and left the apartment.

Arianna was twenty-seven and she had just moved to Gotham City. She was very excited for her first day at work. Her first career choice didn't work out that well so she went with her second choice and that was preschool teacher.

As Arianna rode the bus she couldn't help feeling a little nervous. It wasn't because she was starting her new job. It was because she moved to a new city. She had visited Gotham before to see her friend, but her friend was always with her. Now she was walking in Gotham alone.

The bus soon stopped and Arianna got off. It was only a block to her work which wasn't bad. She was just thankful that she didn't have to walk that much.

Arianna arrived at the preschool building and walked inside. The classroom was empty, but she could hear kids playing outside. She made her way out back; a smile appeared on her face as she watched the children playing. Arianna always enjoyed children.

Arianna walked up to a woman who looked to be in her late thirties. "Excuse me I'm Arianna Cooper, the new teacher."

The woman smiled. "I'm so glad you could join us. My name is Faye Anderson. I'll show you around and introduce you to everyone."

Faye introduced Arianna to the other two teachers, Sara and Cody. Then she was introduced to all the children. There were twenty-five, ages four to five.

Arianna's first day went very well. It didn't take the children long to get use to her. She loved playing with the children and teaching them things.

After her first day was over she headed to a little café that was close to the school. She was meeting her friend there. Her friend was Emma and they had been best friends since third grade. After high school the two of them went their separate ways, but they never lost touch with each other.

When Arianna got to the café it didn't take her long to find Emma. She was the one with black hair with blonde highlights. She wore black jeans with a pink shirt; she was bouncing and smiled when she saw Arianna.

Emma got up and made her way to Arianna and hugged her.

"Arianna, it's so good to see you again. It's been way too long."

"Um Emma…I need to breath."

Emma let go with a laugh. "Sorry. I'm just so excited to see you. I hope you don't mind, but I already ordered for you."

"Thanks."

The two girls sat down and started talking about what they had been up to since the last time they met, which was two years ago.

Emma was very happy to learn the Arianna was moving to Gotham and was planning a sleepover. Arianna laughed at her excitement; Emma always was hyper.

"So, what's it like working for Bruce Wayne?"

"Well, I'm never bored." Emma chuckled. "He has me running errands for him, taking messages, cancelling things for him. You know the basic secretary stuff."

"Sounds fun." Arianna said sarcastically as she took a sip of her drink.

"How have you been doing?" Emma said, turning serious. "I know it hasn't been easy since-"

"I don't want to talk about it." Arianna interrupted.

"All right, but whenever you do want to talk I'm here for you."

Arianna smiled. "Thanks."

The two of them sat there for awhile longer before they decided to leave. Arianna enjoyed seeing Emma again. She had missed her so much. Emma walked with Arianna back to her apartment; she wasn't ready to say bye to her friend even though Arianna reminded her they would see each other more now.

"So is anything on your mind?" Arianna asked. "You look like you want to say something."

"Actually there is. You see, there is fund raiser going on tomorrow night and Bruce Wayne is donating a lot of money. All the employees are encouraged to come…though I doubt any really will."

"What are you getting at?"

"Will you come with me?"

"No."

"Please, Ari. I don't like going to these things alone."

"Then why go?"

"Well, I uh…I go because…I go because it looks good for Mr. Wayne's image."

Arianna laughed. "No, you're going because you think Bruce Wayne is good looking."

"Well yeah, there's that. Just go to this one with me and I'll never ask you to go again."

Arianna shook her head. "I will never understand you. What's the fund raiser for?"

"A new hospital."

"Oh right, I remember you telling me that one of the hospitals blew up."

"Yeah, be thankful you weren't here for that. And thanks to Batman we were all saved."

Arianna raised an eyebrow. "Batman? People say that-"

"Yeah, yeah, people can say what they want, but I still believe that he is good and protects us."

"Someone who runs around at night dressed up as a bat must not have much of a life."

Before the conversation got too much into batman, they arrived at Arianna's apartment. Emma wasn't going to leave until Arianna gave her an answer about the fund raiser. Arianna finally agreed to go because she knew Emma wasn't going to give up.

When Arianna went up to her apartment she saw she had a message on her answering machine so she pressed play. It was her mom checking to see how she was doing. Her mom was worried about her moving to Gotham.

Arianna called her mom back and told her how things were going and that she hadn't run into any problems, of course her mother was always worrying about her no matter how many times Arianna reassured her that she was fine.

Her mom brought up the subject of what happened before Arianna left, but she didn't want to talk about it. She had been trying to forget it and she didn't need anyone reminding her about it. She knew she couldn't avoid it, but she could try.

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**Sorry if this first one was boring. I promise it will get better if you give it a chance. **


	2. Chapter 2

The next day Arianna was not looking forward to the fund raiser. She never liked to go to things like that even if it's for a good cause. She tried to avoid big crowds especially big crowds with rich people.

At work Arianna had forgotten about the fund raiser, but she was reminded again when Emma came to pick her up from work to go shopping. Arianna tried to get out of it, though it was no use. Emma was determined to get Arianna something nice to wear for tonight.

"I have to wear what with what?" Arianna asked when they got to the store.

"You have to wear a dress with high heels. Oh come on, the dress won't kill you."

"No, but the heels might."

Arianna was a tomboy growing up so she never wore dresses or high heels. The last time she wore heels was to her high school prom and she ended up taking them off only fifteen minutes after arriving at the dance.

Emma was having much fun dress shopping. She looked at one rack of dresses, didn't see anything she liked so went to the next. Again she didn't see anything she liked so she went to the next rack then she went back to the first.

Arianna was just standing there; she felt out of place. She watched Emma shuffle from one rack to the next with a confused face. Arianna didn't think picking out a dress would be that difficult.

"This one will look lovely on you." Emma said after almost twenty minutes of looking. She held up a knee length red dress with sequence covering it.

"I don't think I want to blind people." Arianna joked. "Besides red isn't my color."

Emma shrugged as she put the dress back and continued looking. Arianna sighed as she made her way to one of the racks. If she helped picked out a dress then they could get out of this place quicker.

Arianna searched for five minutes before she got bored. Shopping had never been her thing and the only time she went clothes shopping was when she really needed clothes. She glanced over at Emma who was looking at herself in a mirror as she held up a pink dress.

Arianna knew she was only going to wear the dress once so she picked up the first one she put her hand on. Without looking at it she went up to Emma and said she found a dress.

Emma turned around and smiled. "That's a pretty dress, Ari, and I'm sure you'll look great in it."

Arianna finally looked at the dress she picked out. It went a little below her knees and it was light blue in color. It was much better looking than the red dress Emma had picked out.

Once the two of them got their dresses they went over to the shoes. That didn't take as long as the dresses did. Emma quickly found a nice pair that would go with her pink dress and a black pair that would go with Arianna's.

Once they paid for their things they went over to Emma's place. Emma had an idea on how to do Arianna's hair. It only took an hour and a half for both girls to get ready.

When the two of them got to the fund raiser Arianna was a little uneasy. She didn't like big crowds and it didn't help that she was claustrophobic.

"Relax." Emma said to her. "Try not to think about it."

"Easy for you to say." Arianna mumbled.

There were a few people that showed up from Emma's work and she introduced them to Arianna.

It was half an hour into the fund raiser by the time Bruce Wayne showed up and he had a woman on each arm; Arianna rolled her eyes. Emma had talked about him and she also reads about him in the paper so she knows what he's like.

When Emma saw Bruce Wayne she squealed like a school girl. How anyone could like Wayne was beyond Arianna. People probably only liked him for his money. Why else would he always show up to functions with a different woman each time? And he's probably just a player, not caring about the dates he brings.

"Come on, I'll introduce you." Emma said as she started dragging Arianna.

Arianna pulled away from her. "I have no interest in meeting him."

"It will only take a few seconds and then you don't have to talk to him for the rest of the night."

Arianna sighed as she followed Emma. She would never understand Emma's infatuation with Wayne.

The two of them walked up to him as he was discussing something with a man. Arianna paid no attention to what they were saying.

"Excuse me Mr. Wayne." Bruce turned to Emma.

"Emma, it's good that you could come." Bruce said with a smile.

"Well, I love fund raisers and it's for a good cause. This is my friend Arianna. Arianna, this is my boss Bruce Wayne."

"It's nice to meet you." Bruce said as he held out his hand; Arianna took it just to be nice. "Emma has told me about you."

"Nothing bad I hope."

"No, all of it good. I hate to be rude, but I do have other things to take care of."

"We understand, Mr. Wayne." Emma said. Then Bruce walked off.

"So, you talk about me to your boss?" Arianna asked.

Emma looked at her. "Just little things. I try to make conversation with him. It works sometimes, but other times he has to rush off to some important meeting."

It was almost two hours into the fund raiser and Arianna's feet were killing her. She wanted to take her heels off, but she knew that wouldn't be a good idea around these people. She would probably get a few looks.

Emma was at the bar, chatting with some people from work. She tried to get Arianna to join them, but she didn't trust herself at the bar with all the alcohol. Arianna decided to go outside to get some fresh air.

When she got out there she saw someone else out there, but his back was towards her. He must have heard the door open because he turned around and Arianna saw that it was Bruce Wayne.

"Did you come out here to escape as well?" Arianna asked.

"Yes, and also to get some quiet time. These things can get pretty loud. What's your excuse?"

Arianna walked up to him. "I'm claustrophobic and it was getting too crowded in there for me."

They stood in silence for awhile. Arianna never knew what to say to new people and also she didn't know what she could say to Bruce Wayne. She didn't come from a life like he had so she didn't know anything about the things he did.

After a few minutes Bruce finally broke the silence. "So, what made you decide to come to Gotham?"

"Emma for one thing. And another reason was a change of scenery. I come from a small town so it's nice to see the big city."

"Have you found a job yet?"

"Yep, that was the first thing I did before I moved here. I work at a preschool."

"So I take it you like kids."

"I love them. How about you?"

"I can't stand them." Bruce said with a laugh; Arianna smiled.

The two of them talked for awhile before Emma came out.

"I was wondering where you disappeared to."

"Sorry, but I couldn't stand being in there anymore."

"I understand. I hope you aren't telling Mr. Wayne anything embarrassing about me."

"I haven't, but now that you mention it. There was this one time when were first started high school that-"

Emma quickly covered Arianna's mouth. "He doesn't want to hear about that. And now you live closer to me so I can get revenge."

Bruce chuckled. "I can tell you two are close friends."

"We should be." Arianna said as she pulled Emma's hand away. "We've been friends since third grade."

"It's good to have friends like that."

Arianna saw pain flash their Bruce's eyes, but it was only there for a second so she might have imagined it.

"Well, I hate to break this up, but I'm getting tired." Emma said. "Are you ready to go, Arianna?"

"Yeah. It was nice meeting you Mr. Wayne."

"Nice meeting you too."

Then Emma and Arianna left. Emma wanted to know what she and Bruce were talking about. Arianna said just small stuff like why she moved here. It surprised Emma that Arianna was talking to Bruce since she had mentioned before that she had no interest in either meeting him or talking to him.

When Arianna got home the first thing she did was take off her shoes. She was so happy when she got them off. She surprised herself that she didn't trip once that night.

Once she got changed into her pajamas she laid in bed and thought about her new life. She was hoping this turned out better than before. Of course she had learned from past mistakes so there was no way she would go down the same path.


	3. Chapter 3

**I would like to thank Amanda for reviewing. It means alot. I didn't realize I said her name that much so I will cut back on that.**

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A few weeks had passed since Arianna moved to Gotham and she was doing better than she had in a long time. Today however was not one of those better days. To start with her alarm clock didn't go off so she was late getting up. Then she stubbed her toe on the corner on the desk.

_What else can go wrong? _Arianna thought as she left the house.

When Arianna was riding the bus she thought it was going slower than usual. She kept glancing at her watch every few minutes and it seemed like each second that passed was a minute. She was relieved when the bus finally came to her stop.

She jumped from her seat, exited the bus and took off running to the preschool. The first thing she was going to do after work was buy a new alarm clock.

Arianna quickly looked both ways before she crossed the street. When she didn't see any cars coming she started to run. Arianna heard a horn so she looked over and saw a car coming towards her. She closed her eyes, expecting to be hit, but all she heard was a loud squeal. She cracked her eyes open and saw the car stopped just a few inches from hitting her; she fell to her knees.

"I'm so sorry. Are you all right?"

Arianna glanced up and was surprised at who she saw. She tried to say something, but nothing came out.

"It's Arianna, right?" She nodded. "I'm really sorry."

Arianna finally found her voice. "It's just as much my fault, Mr. Wayne. I should have paid better attention to where I was going."

People soon started stopping and was looking at the two of them. Bruce knew this was going to be in tomorrow's paper. He can see the headlines now: Bruce Wayne speeds down street, almost hitting a woman.

"Are you all right?" Bruce asked as he held out his hand.

Arianna took his hand and pulled herself up. "I'll be fine once my heart slows down."

"Again I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted. I was in a hurry and didn't really pay attention."

"Let me make it up to you."

"You don't have to. You didn't hit me so no damage done."

"It's the least I can do. I feel guilty."

"I'm fine. You don't have to do anything."

"Let me take you out to dinner as an apology."

He was really persistent and Arianna had a feeling he wasn't going to give up until she agreed to something.

Arianna sighed. "All right."

"Great. I'll pick you up at seven." Bruce started getting in his car.

"Don't you need my address?"

"I'll get it from my secretary." Then he got in his car.

Arianna shook her head as she made her way to the preschool, being more cautious. She wondered what Emma was going to say…or do when she finds out about this.

Arianna had finally arrived at work and the first thing she did was pour her some coffee. She noticed that she was still shaking a little. She used both hands to hold the cup as she brought it to her lips. Almost getting hit by a car did scare her, but it also brought flashbacks of the accident she was in a while back.

"Arianna, are you all right?"

Arianna looked up and saw Faye. "Yeah, I just almost got hit by a car."

"I hope the jerk that wasn't paying attention stopped to make sure you were ok. You should sue him."

Arianna chuckled. "I wasn't hurt. And the jerk who almost hit me was Bruce Wayne. It was my fault because I wasn't looking where I was going." Arianna finished her coffee then put the cup down. "Now I better get to work since I'm already late."

Bruce sat in his office as he stared at his desk. He kept thinking about Arianna and how he almost hit her. He had so much on his mind that he didn't see her. He was thankful that he stopped in time.

He had told Emma what happened and she didn't look to happy about him taking her best friend out to dinner. She said there were other ways of apologizing. Of course Bruce could understand why Emma didn't like the idea.

Bruce glanced out the window and saw Emma talking on the phone as she waved her hands around. A small smile appeared on his face. She must be talking to Arianna; probably trying to talk her out of dinner. Emma then slammed the phone down.

"I don't care if I get fired for this." Emma said as she barged in the office. "You can't take my best friend out to dinner."

"Why not?"

"She isn't like those models you always bring to functions. You won't be able to romance her."

"I just want to apologize for almost hitting her."

"So just say you're sorry. Send her flowers or candy, but not dinner."

"I think Arianna is old enough to make her own decisions."

"Yes, but I also know you better."

"You have nothing to worry about, Emma."

"We'll see." Then she walked out.

Later that day Arianna was in her apartment, wondering what to wear. She wasn't sure where Bruce was taking her to dinner so she didn't know if she should dress formally or casual. Of course the only formal dress she had was the one she bought for the fund raiser.

Arianna looked at her clothes that she had taken out of her closet and were now spread across her bed. She really wished Bruce had told her where they were going. She picked up an outfit and looked at herself in the mirror. She then threw down the outfit. What did it matter what she wore or how she looked? It wasn't as if it was a date.

Just then the phone rang. Arianna thought it would be Emma again, trying to talk her out of dinner.

Se picked up the phone. "Emma, I thought I told you-"

"Arianna, its Bruce."

"Oh, I was just getting ready."

"I'm sorry, but I have to cancel. Something came up at work and I have to sort it out."

"I understand."

"Maybe we can reschedule?"

"Yeah maybe."

Arianna hung up the phone feeling a little disappointed. She was actually looking forward to having dinner with him, but part of her knew not to expect anything. After all he is a billionaire so why would he waste his time on someone like her?

Arianna decided that she was going to go out for dinner anyway; she didn't feel like staying inside. She went to a Japanese restaurant that was just two blocks from her apartment.

She walked into the small restaurant and was seated near the window. As she was looking through the menu she glanced at the alcoholic beverages. She quickly turned away from that.

After a few more minutes of looking, Arianna finally decided what she wanted and placed her order. She could have called Emma to come out with her, but she felt like being alone.

Arianna spent an hour in the restaurant just eating her dinner and thinking about her life. Her family and friends told her she has come very far, but she didn't feel like it.

She soon left the restaurant and headed home. Going out was a good idea. It cheered her up and she forgot all about having dinner with Bruce Wayne. It wasn't like she was missing out on anything great anyway.

Arianna was halfway home when she got the feeling she was being followed. She looked around, but didn't see anyone so she shrugged it off. She thought she was just being paranoid. This was the first time she had walked at night alone.

Suddenly Arianna felt someone grab her neck and pull her into an alley and threw her against the wall. Arianna faced her attacker; he had a ski mask on so she couldn't see his face. She did however see the knife in his hand.

"Give me your money."

Arianna wasted no time in taking her wallet out of her purse and handing it to him. He opened her wallet, took out the few dollars she had then threw it to the ground.

"What else do you have?"

"That's all."

"Don't lie to me." He said as he waved the knife in her face.

"I'm not lying. That's all I have I swear."

The man grabbed Arianna and put the knife to her neck. "You better not be lying to me." He pressed the knife harder to her neck; blood trickled down her skin.

"Let her go."

"Who said that?" The man asked as he looked around.

"I did."

The man quickly turned around to come face to face with a man. Arianna had never seen him before, but she knew the masked figure in front of her was Batman.

"Let the girl go."

"Fine with me. She didn't have anything anyway." Then the man pushed Arianna into Batman and took off running.

"Aren't you going after him?" Arianna asked as she moved away from Batman.

"Right now my concern is for you. You're bleeding."

"I'll be all right."

"You shouldn't be walking alone at night."

"I wouldn't be alone if some guy didn't cancel on me." She mumbled.

"Why don't I walk you home?"

"You don't have to. I don't live that far from here." She said as she picked up her wallet.

"I want to make sure you get home without another incident."

Arianna just nodded. The two of them walked in silence while Arianna was lost in her own thoughts. She had read many things about Batman, some of it good, some not. She was undecided on how she felt about him, but she was grateful that he saved her.

After a few minutes they finally arrived at her apartment. She thanked him for saving her. She didn't know what would have happened if he didn't show up.

"Take care of that cut."

"I will."

Arianna then went into her apartment as Batman left. It had been an interesting day. First she almost gets hit by a car driven by Bruce Wayne. Then she gets robbed and is saved by Batman. Emma wasn't going to believe this.


	4. Chapter 4

The next day at work Arianna wore a scarf so no one would see the cut she had on her neck and start asking questions. She really didn't want to explain to her co-workers about her incident last night.

Arianna was standing outside as she watched the children play. Watching them play always brought a smile to her face. Children were so innocent and carefree. They had nothing to worry about and knew nothing about the dangerous world around them. Sometimes Arianna missed being a kid, but there were moments she enjoyed being an adult.

"Oh wow, Bruce Wayne is walking to our preschool." Sara said.

Arianna looked behind her and indeed he was walking to the school. What business could he possibly have at a preschool?

"Hello Arianna. I wanted to apologize about last night."

"It's all right. I admit I was a little mad, but I got over it. You're a busy man."

"I'd like to make it up to you. I feel bad."

"If you keep that up then you'll owe me dinner for months."

"I promise I won't cancel tonight."

"Excuse us a moment." Sara said as she pulled Arianna away. "You're going out with Bruce Wayne?"

"No. He almost hit me yesterday and wanted to take me to dinner to apologize, but he canceled."

"And now he is inviting you out again? You must have made a good first impression on him."

"I guess."

"So, are you going to go to dinner with him?"

Arianna looked over at Bruce who was patiently waiting for the two girls to come back. She didn't know if she wanted to go to dinner with him. He might just cancel on her again and she wasn't going to play that game.

Arianna sighed as she walked back over to Bruce. She didn't know why or what made her agree, but she said yes to him. He said that he would pick her up at seven and to wear something not too formal and not too casual.

"Wow, you have a dinner date with Bruce Wayne." Sara said when Bruce walked off.

"It's not a date. It's just two acquaintances having dinner."

Later that day Arianna was having lunch with Emma. Arianna had explained what happened last night, including her little run-in with a thief and Batman saved her. Emma gave her a lecture on how she shouldn't go out alone at night. After she was done getting lectured she told Emma about this morning.

"I can't believe you said yes to dinner again." Emma said. "He's just a player."

"Then why do you chase after him?"

"I don't. I just find him very attractive."

"Right."

Arianna drank her coffee as Emma read the paper. She flipped through a few pages, not finding anything of interest. She was almost to the last page when she stopped to read an article. After a few moments she slammed the paper down on the table, making Arianna jump.

"People are jerks. I wish they would make up their minds."

"About what?" Arianna asked with confusion.

"A jewelry store was robbed last night and the thief wasn't caught. People are asking where Batman was. First people don't want him and then they do. Batman can't catch every criminal out there."

"Feel better?"

Emma took a deep breath then smiled. "Much."

Arianna shook her head.

After lunch Emma had to go back to work while Arianna had the rest of the day off. Emma took Arianna home before she went back to the office.

When Arianna got to her apartment she sat on her couch, staring at the ceiling. She thought back to this morning and wondered if it was a good decision. She had a feeling that he might cancel on her again. Why did she even agree to go?

Arianna glanced over at the table next to the couch and saw she had a message. She was expecting it to be her mother wondering how she was doing and worrying about her like always. She pressed the play button.

"Hello Arianna, this is Dr. Johnson. I was just calling to follow-up and see how you were doing. Please call me back. It would be great to hear from you and see how you're doing."

Arianna groaned as the message ended. She was hoping she wouldn't have to talk to her doctor again, but she knew he was just making sure she didn't go back to her old ways. She sighed as she went to her room to take a nap.

A few hours later Arianna woke up and looked at the clock; it was 5:30. She decided to take a shower and get ready for dinner that she was not thinking would happen. After her shower she looked through her clothes, but she didn't know what was not too formal and not too casual.

"Couldn't he have been more specific?"

She spent twenty minutes going through her clothes until she decided on nice black pants with a nice black and white shirt. Then she put her hair up, not feeling like messing with it. Once she was done she went into the living room and watched TV.

Arianna got interested in a movie and lost track of the time. She was only snapped out of it when she heard a knock at the door. She stood up and was surprised at who she saw.

"You look nice." Bruce said.

"Thank you. I was sure that you were-"

"Going to cancel again? Work does keep me busy, but I don't cancel two nights in a row. Shall we go?"

Arianna just nodded as she grabbed her purse and turned off the TV. They walked out to Bruce's car and Arianna hesitated to get in. Bruce looked at her.

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah fine."

Arianna shook her head as she got in the car. During the car ride Arianna had her eyes fixed on the dashboard. She could feel her heart racing and she was sure that she was starting to sweat. When the two of them got to the restaurant, Arianna wasted no time in getting out of the car and taking a deep breath.

"Are you sure you're all right."

"Fine." She smiled at Bruce.

They walked into the restaurant and were seated by a window. It wasn't all that fancy. It was a nice little restaurant.

Arianna felt strange sitting at a table with Bruce Wayne. Never in a million years did she think she would be having dinner with him especially since she isn't anyone of importance. She started twisting her necklace.

"Nervous?" Bruce asked her.

Arianna put her hand down. "Sorry. I just haven't been to dinner with a billionaire before. What do you usually talk about, Mr. Wayne?"

"Call me Bruce. I'm just like any normal person. What was it like growing up with Emma? I know she can be very hyper."

Arianna laughed. "Yeah she can. Let's just say that being friends with her I was never bored. She would always come up with different activities for us to do. She wasn't too happy that I agreed to come to dinner with you again."

Bruce chuckled. "I know. When she came back for lunch she gave me a lecture."

"Sorry about that. Emma and I are like sisters. She doesn't want me to get hurt."

"It's understandable."

After a few minutes of looking through the menu the two of them ordered. Arianna had a hard time deciding between two things, but eventually she chose her meal.

"Would you like any wine?" Bruce asked.

"Um…no, I don't drink."

Bruce just nodded.

Dinner had gone better then Arianna thought it would. The two of them talked about many things and Arianna got to know Bruce better. She actually found out that he was a nice guy.

After dinner they left the restaurant. Arianna was still a little scared getting in the car, but she tried to not let it show. However she was not doing a very good job at it.

Bruce glanced over to her. "You look uneasy. What's wrong? And don't tell me you're all right?"

Arianna sighed. "A few months ago before I moved here I was…I was in a car accident. I guess it still frightens me a little to be in a car."

"Was it a bad accident?"

"I totaled my car. Thankfully it was just me and no one else got hurt. I was in the hospital for a few weeks."

"I can understand why you would be afraid to get in a car. I'm a very good driver so you have nothing to worry about."

Arianna smiled.

"We could walk next time, though that might take longer time."

Arianna looked at him. "Next time?"

"That is if you want to."

"Sure, I'd like that."

Bruce dropped Arianna off at her apartment and walked her to the door. When she was inside he drove off. Arianna was surprised that she actually enjoyed the night.


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry it took awhile to update. I had major writers block. Thank you to Amanda and Chicki Babie for reviewing. It means a lot.

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_~Dream~_

_ Arianna sped down the road as she cursed under her breath. She didn't understand what happened. She thought everything was fine. There were no problems that she could see, but maybe she was just being blind._

_ She squinted to see in the darkness; her headlights were on, but that did little to illuminate the road. She had a hard time seeing the road and did not see the turn that was coming up. She slammed on her breaks as she jerked her wheel; she couldn't stop in time and went over the edge._

_ The car made its way down the steep hill as Arianna held onto the steering wheel. She thought the car was never going to stop, but it finally did. The front of the car met head on with a tree; the force pushed on Arianna and made her hit her head on the wheel._

_ Blood gushed down her face as she looked around, trying to see straight. Arianna undid her seatbelt with shaky hands. She then opened the car door and stumbled out._

_~End Dream~_

Arianna sat up in bed as sweat dripped down her forehead. She glanced at the clock and saw it was four in the morning. She sighed as she got out of bed and made her way to the bathroom. She turned on the facet and splashed water on her face. Once she was done she went into the kitchen to get something to drink.

She decided to make coffee because she knew there was no way she would be able to go back to sleep. As she was thinking about her accident she realized she hadn't called her doctor back yet.

Once the coffee was finished she made herself a cup then sat on the couch and watched TV. Not much was on at four in the morning so she put in the movie Beauty and the Beast; it was one of her favorite Disney movies.

By the end of the movie Arianna was feeling better. She was humming as she straightened up her apartment. It wasn't that messy, but for some reason even just a little clutter irritated her and she had to clean it up. She wasn't always like that. She wasn't exactly sure when it started to annoy her. Maybe it started after that day. After that day she tried everything she could to keep her mind occupied…to keep her mind off of that incident.

Arianna was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard a knock at the door. She put down the papers she was organizing and answered the door. Emma was standing there with a smile on her face.

"Hey there, Ari. Got any plans for this morning?"

"No."

"Good. Want to go get breakfast?"

"You seem to be in a cheerful mood. What do you want?"

"Can't I just be in a good mood?"

Arianna eyed her friend for a moment then shrugged. "I guess."

"So do you want to go get breakfast? You haven't had breakfast yet, have you?"

"All right. Just let me get ready."

After twenty minutes Arianna was ready and the two friends headed out. They walked to a nearby restaurant as Emma complained that she had a pile of papers to sort through today at work. She wasn't looking forward to that. Arianna bragged that she had the day off.

When they got to the restaurant, Emma told Arianna she could order anything she wanted and she would pay.

Arianna raised an eyebrow. "Why are you being so nice?"

"I'm always nice."

"Sometimes, but you seem more nice then usual."

"I just want to do something nice for my friend. Is that so wrong?"

"You want to know what happened last night, don't you."

"No, of course not. If you don't want to tell me then that's your business."

"Ok." Arianna picked up her menu.

"Ok, I lied. Tell me please, please, please."

Arianna laughed. "I knew you were being nice for a reason. It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. It was actually nice. He asked me out again."

"Are you going to go?"

Arianna shrugged as she continued to scan the menu. She told Bruce that she would love to go out again, but there was a part of her that didn't want to. She knew his type. The player type who only went out with women to hurt them because they can, but there was something about Bruce. He seemed different some how…then again all guys do at first.

Neither of the two women spoke until after the waitress came and took their orders. Emma was trying to be patient with Arianna, but patience was never her strongest trait.

"You didn't answer my question."

"Are you going to go out with him again?"

"Well, I told him that I would like to."

"You said what? Ari, that's a bad idea."

"But it's a good idea when you're chasing after him? Do you want him?"

"He is a player. He comes to fundraisers and any other event with a new woman each time. He doesn't care about their feelings. He just wants to make himself look good."

"You're avoiding the question."

"It never matted what I wanted."

"What's that suppose to mean?"

Emma sighed. "Nothing. Look, I just don't you to get hurt and end up like last time."

"No need to worry about that. I'm not going back."

"I still worry."

"Well, don't. I know I made a mistake, but I learned from it and I'm never doing that again."

"That's what other people have said, but then ended up going back to their old ways."

"I'm not like other people."

"What's going to happen when you get hurt again? How are you going to deal with that?"

"I won't turn to alcohol again. Can we please change the subject?"

"Fine."

"How did this turn into an argument?"

"Just drop it."

"You're the one who brought it up." Arianna mumbled.

Again neither one of them spoke until their food arrived. Emma was the first one to break the silence, saying the museum got a new exhibit and she wanted to go see it. The two of them made plans to go Saturday and Emma completely forgot about their little argument, but Arianna didn't. One thing she couldn't get out of her head was what Emma said about her not getting what she wanted. What did she mean by that?

After they finished breakfast they walked back to Arianna's apartment then Emma headed off to work. Arianna decided to go get her check and cash it. When she got to the preschool all her co-workers were asking her about her date with Bruce Wayne. Arianna told them that it wasn't a date, but they didn't believe that.

"Did he pay?" Cody asked.

"Yes."

"Then it was a date." He smiled.

"Wipe that smile off your face or I'll punch you."

"No violence in school. You want to set a good example for the children."

Arianna gave an irritated sigh as she picked up her check. As she left she could hear Cody saying he wanted details. Arianna turned around.

"We had hot and steamy dinner." Arianna laughed at the look on Cody's face. "Get your mind out of the gutter."

"He's a guy." Sara said. "His mind is always in the gutter."

"So true. I'll see you guys later." Then Arianna left to cash her check.

As she was headed to the back she thought about the last comment. It wasn't true that all guys are like that. Bruce wasn't like that. Of course she hadn't known him that long, but still he didn't seem like that type. If he was going to make a move he would have on the first date.

Arianna was shocked at what she just thought. She admitted that it was a date. She shook her head. It wasn't a date and she was sure that Bruce didn't think of it as a date either. It was just two acquaintances having dinner.

She arrived at the bank and the thoughts of Bruce were pushed out of her mind and replaced with what she was going to buy with her money. She did have to go shopping since she was running low on some things. She started making a mental list on the things she needed.

After a few minutes it was finally her turn. She walked up to the teller and got her check cashed then headed out of the bank. It didn't take her as long as she thought it would. As she was walking out of the bank she looked at her watch. It was almost lunch time. She decided to go grab a quick meal before doing her shopping.

Suddenly Arianna bumped into someone and started falling back. She was expecting to hit the ground, but it never came. She looked up and saw that she was caught by Bruce Wayne.

"It seems like we keep running into each other." Bruce said as he let go of Arianna.

"You keep running into me. I'm just an innocent by stander. I'm starting to think you're stalking me."

Bruce chuckled. "Ok, you caught me. So what are you up to?"

"I was just cashing my check. What about you? Shouldn't you be at work?"

"I had to get some air. My secretary was driving me nuts. She seemed to be in a bad mood this morning."

"It's her own fault. She started it."

Bruce looked at her with confusion. "Started what?"

"We just had a little argument."

"About me?"

"How do you know?"

"Just a guess. Emma was glaring at me when I walked in and when she talked to me she sounded pissed. I take it she didn't like you going to dinner with me."

Arianna shrugged. "I don't really know what her problem is. She says one thing then a few minutes later says the exact opposite of what she said."

"So where are you headed to now?"

"I was going to get a bite to eat then go shopping."

"I was going to lunch myself. Why don't we go together?"

"Fine, but I'm paying for myself."

Bruce looked at her with a puzzled expression, but didn't question it.

"Oh, can I pick the place we eat?"

"Sure. I chose dinner so it's only fair you choose lunch."

"Great. There's this Japanese restaurant that's really good."

Arianna led the way to the restaurant. They didn't get very far when something caught Arianna's attention. She stopped as she looked at a poster that was hanging up in the window of one of the buildings.

"A dance team is coming here." She said more to herself.

"Do you like dance?"

Arianna was silent for a moment as she stared at the poster. Finally she answered, "I did once."

Bruce could hear sadness in her voice, but he didn't push her about the subject. Arianna shook her head, smiled at Bruce and continued on her way. Bruce wondered what that was about.

"Konnichiwa." Arianna said as the two of them entered the restaurant.

"Konnichiwa. Table for two?"

"Yes please."

"You speak Japanese." Bruce asked as they were being seated.

"Yep. I took all through high school and in college."

"So is Japanese your favorite food?"

"Yeah, it is. Arigato." Arianna said when the waiter handed her the menu.

After a few minutes the two of them ordered then started talking about the new exhibit that was coming to the museum.

"Emma wants to go so we're going this Saturday."

"Really? That's when I'm going as well."

"I hope Emma didn't plan that." Arianna whispered to herself. "So, are you donating the exhibit? What is it anyway?"

"No, I'm not donating it. I'm just making an appearance. It's an Egyptian artifact that's said to have a curse. Whoever touches it gets cursed and dies a mysterious death."

"What constitutes as mysterious?"

Bruce shrugged. "I don't know. I read that a few years ago when the artifact was in Nevada everyone who came in contact with it died, but the coroner couldn't find a cause of death. They were in good health and had no problems so no one understood how they could just die. One of them was only nineteen."

"That is strange, but I don't believe in curses. If everyone who touches it dies then I think we would hear of a lot more deaths."

"I guess we'll never know for sure."

Soon the waiter came back to take their order and it wasn't long before they got their food. The rest of lunch they talked about random things in life. As they were talking, Arianna noticed that a few people were staring. She tried to ignore them, but it was a little hard especially since they were whispering.

When the two of them were half way done with their lunch, a woman walked up to them.

"I'm curious, are you two dating?"

Arianna, who was taking a drink at the time, spit out what was in her mouth, getting Bruce wet.

"Sorry." Arianna said to him.

Bruce chuckled. "That's all right." Then he looked at the woman. "We're just friends."

"I'm sure you are." The woman walked away.

"That was rude." Arianna said. "Sorry again for getting you with my soda."

"It's fine. I'm sure it was an unexpected question for you."

"So do you get that question about every girl you go out with?"

"Sometimes. Sometimes people just assume."

"Then let me ask you a question. When was the last time you had a serious relationship?"

"It's been awhile. My job sometimes gets in the way of having a serious relationship. I think most women are looking for a man who will be around more then I am."

"Well, aside from out first dinner plans you seem to be doing a good job of staying. Then again I'm not with you a lot of the time so I wouldn't really know."

The two of them finished eating then left the restaurant. Bruce wasn't looking forward to going back to work and he definitely wasn't going to tell Emma he had lunch with Arianna. Of course Arianna might tell her then he'll have an earful tomorrow.

They said their good-byes and went their separate ways. With her stomach full, Arianna was now ready to tackle her shopping.

* * *

**Konnichiwa means good afternoon.**

**Arigato means thank you.  
**


	6. Chapter 6

Saturday had come faster than Arianna wanted it to. It wasn't that she didn't want to go to the museum with Emma. She was actually excited to see the new exhibit. Emma was a little mad when she found out that Arianna had lunch with Bruce. She didn't understand why Emma was getting so mad and she refused to answer Arianna when she asked why. She didn't know what was going to happen at the museum since Bruce would be there.

When Emma came to pick up Arianna she seemed to be in a good mood, but Arianna knew that would change when she saw Bruce. Did she even know he would be there? She had to know. She is his secretary after all.

When they got to the museum they saw there were quite a few people there. Emma couldn't contain her excitement as they entered the room. She had heard about the artifact and wanted to touch it to see if the curse was real, but Arianna stopped her. Emma called her a party pooper.

They had been there only for a few minutes before Arianna started looking around. Emma soon noticed this.

"You're looking for Bruce, aren't you?"

Arianna looked at her. "No, I'm not. Can't I just look around?"

"No. Just admit it."

"Admit what?"

"You like him."

"As a friend."

"Whatever. They're going to reveal the artifact soon."

Then Emma went to stand closer to the artifact. Arianna sighed as she followed her friend. It wasn't like Emma to get upset over nothing and it was really starting to annoy Arianna especially since Emma didn't want to talk about it.

It wasn't long before Bruce made his appearance and people were surrounding him and asking questions like usual. Arianna felt happy when she saw him, but she couldn't understand why. Before she could think any more about it she felt someone grab her hand.

"They are going to reveal the artifact." Emma said, dragging her friend closer.

Everyone gathered around, waiting for the artifact to be revealed. Bruce went up and said how he was happy this artifact could be shared with the city of Gotham. Finally the Egyptian artifact was revealed. Emma was going to try to touch it again, but Arianna pulled her back.

"I don't feel like getting kicked out."

"Fine." Emma pouted.

The cloth was taken off, revealing the artifact in a glass case. It was a rectangle shape with part of the top missing. Hieroglyphics boarded the tablet with a picture of a pharaoh in the middle. The owner of the museum explained how the tablet once belonged to a pharaoh and the story was that he trapped and evil spirit inside.

"I wonder if it's true." Emma said. "If there is an evil spirit inside then that would explain why everyone who touches it dies."

"Don't tell me you actually believe that story."

"Ok, I won't tell you."

Arianna shook her head.

"I guess we'll know if anyone from the museum dies."

Both women turned around to see a smiling Bruce.

"Do you believe in the curse, Mr. Wayne?"

"No, and I don't believe a spirit was sealed away in it."

"Well, I think there is. The Egyptians were very smart and I wouldn't put it passed them to figuring out a way to trap a spirit." Then Emma went to get a closer look at the artifact.

"Is something bothering her?" Bruce asked.

Arianna shrugged. "I don't know. If there is she isn't talking about it."

"Oh, before I forget." Bruce took something out of his pocket and showed it to Arianna. "Its tickets to the dance show. It looked like you wanted to go."

"You didn't have to. Why did you do it?"

"Do I have to have a reason to do something nice for a friend?"

Arianna smiled. "I guess not."

Suddenly the room filled up with smoke. People started to panic as rushed to get out. Arianna tried to stay close to Bruce, but she kept getting pushed by others. She wasn't sure which way she was being pushed until she tripped and fell to the ground. She looked up and saw a person dressed in black with a ski mask over his head.

Arianna stood up and went to run, but the person caught her by the wrist and pulled her to him. He the dragged her as he made his way out of the museum; she struggled against him.

"Let me go. Why are you taking me? Are you going to kill me?"

"Shut up." He finally said. "I didn't know I was taking an annoying hostage."

Arianna glared at him. "I'm not going to be anyone's hostage."

She punched him with her free hand then turned to run, though she didn't get far. The man quickly grabbed her around the waist and threw her over his shoulder. Arianna looked over her shoulder and saw the man was walking towards the edge of the roof.

"What are you going to do?" Arianna started pounding on the guy's back. "Let me go."

"I'm standing near the edge of a three story building. Do you really want me to let you go?"

"You can put me down on the roof."

"You heard the lady."

The man turned around, staring at the legendary batman.

"I was hoping that if I stole the artifact during the day you wouldn't try to stop me. Don't bats sleep during the day?"

"He's not a real bat, you moron." Arianna said.

The man ignored her. "You can't stop me. My guess is if I throw this girl over the edge you'll save her meaning I can get away."

"You wouldn't?"

The man smirked as he tossed Arianna over the side of the building. Arianna closed her eyes, expecting to hit the ground. She thought Death finally wanted her. She was convinced that she was suppose to die in the car crash, but somehow survived. Now she was sure Death was coming for her again.

Instead of hitting the ground, Arianna felt arms wrap around her, though she didn't dare open her eyes. It wasn't until she felt herself be placed on the ground and someone told her it was safe to open her eyes.

When she opened them she saw Batman. "I think I'm going to collapse. I thought I was going to die. Since you saved me that guy got away."

"I don't care about that. Saving you was more important then getting the artifact back. I'm glad you're safe."

"This is the second time you saved me. Let's not make this a habit."

Batman chuckled. "Just try to stay out of trouble."

"I'm not promising anything."

"Hopefully the next time I see you I won't have to save your life." Then he took off.

Soon the police showed up and Arianna had to tell them what happened. When she was done explaining, Emma ran up to her and hugged her.

"I was so worried when I didn't see you."

"I'm fine thanks to Batman."

"At first I thought you and Bruce went off to have some alone time."

Arianna hit her friend over the head. "We're just friends. And what do you mean by that?"

"Bruce disappeared too."

Arianna thought it was strange that Bruce was no where to be seen. Where did he go? It didn't make any sense. No one was allowed back inside the museum so Arianna waited outside for Bruce. After awhile of waiting he finally came out.

"Where did you disappear to?" Emma asked him.

"I was being pushed by all the people."

Emma eyed him, but didn't say anything else about the subject.

"I think I should go home." Arianna said.

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I love being held hostage then thrown off a building."

"At least Batman caught you." Emma said.

Arianna nodded. "And I hope I never see him again."

"Was he that bad?" Bruce asked.

"The last two times I saw him I was in danger. I really don't want him to have to save me again. It's bad enough that I needed saving in the first place."

"If you want to go home you should go now. Looks like reporters are on their way."

"I don't want to talk to them. Let's go."

Arianna and Emma said bye to Bruce as they went their separate ways. Bruce said he had work to do. Emma was a little disappointed that she didn't get to see the artifact for that long. Arianna was just glad that she didn't end up a pancake. She did wonder what the man stole the artifact for. Was he going to turn it into the police for a reward? Or did he actually believe the story of an evil spirit and is going to try to release it?

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**I know people read this story because they had it t their favorites and alerts. I have one small favor to ask. Can you guys please review? I want to hear what you guys think about the story. What's good about it? And what parts I need to work on? Please and thank you. ^_^**


	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed. It means a lot to me. ^_^

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**

Emma had been in one of her moods again and Arianna couldn't figure out what her problem was. She had asked her friend many times, but Emma kept avoiding the subject. Things only got worse when Emma found out Arianna and Bruce were going to the dance performance.

Bruce had also noticed his secretary's mood change. She was no longer her cheerful self and she rarely smiled any more. Every time he asked her what was wrong she said she was fine, but it didn't sound like she was fine. Eventually Bruce stopped trying to find out what her problem was.

Arianna decided not to let Emma get to her. If she didn't want to talk about what was wrong then that was fine. She wasn't even going to think about her friend tonight. It was the night of the dance and she was going to enjoy it.

She spent a few hours deciding on what to wear. She didn't know why she wanted to look good, but she didn't question it. It had been awhile since she saw a dance performance so she wanted to look her best; that's what she kept telling herself.

Arianna was holding up clothes to her and seeing which one looked the best, but nothing looked good enough. She had gone through her clothes twice and was about to go through them again when there was a knock at her door. She was a little surprised at who see saw.

"Can I talk to you?"

Arianna nodded as she let Emma in.

Emma didn't say anything right away. Swaying side to side, she stared at the ground. Arianna waited for her to say something, but she didn't want to rush her. Sighing, Emma finally looked up.

"I'm sorry. I know I've had an attitude the past few weeks and I'm sorry."

"Why did you have the attitude?"

"I lied to you. I do like Bruce and I did want him. When he was spending time with you I was jealous."

"You shouldn't be jealous. We're just friends."

"I was being childish. When we were in school you always got the boys I wanted."

"I only had three boyfriends from middle school to the end of high school and if I remember you had more then that."

"But the ones I really liked were with you at one point."

Arianna shook her head. "What am I going to do with you? We're just friends so if you want him then go ahead. Make your move."

"I'm sorry again for the way I've been acting."

"I'll forgive you if you promise to go back to the old Emma."

Emma smiled. "I promise."

"Good. Now you want to help me pick out something for tonight?"

"You know I will."

For the next hour Emma helped Arianna get ready. Every so often she would apologize again for her behavior. Arianna kept saying she was forgiven.

Arianna was finally ready for the performance. She was a little nervous about going and it wasn't because she was going with Bruce. It's true that she loves dance, but she had put that behind her. Maybe it was the wrong thing to do. Then again…

"This will be the first time since the accident, right?" Emma said, pulling Arianna out of her thoughts.

"Yes."

"You don't have to go."

"I know, but just because I can't do it doesn't mean I should take it out of my life completely."

"I guess you're right. Well, I hope you have fun. And if you and Bruce do take your relationship further that's fine with me."

Arianna smiled. "Glad I have your permission, but that's not going to happen."

"You never know. I'll see you later."

Emma opened the door to leave and standing outside with his hand up to knock was Bruce. Bruce wasn't sure what to say since he didn't want to get yelled at by Emma. To his surprise she just smiled and said have fun. He looked at Arianna, confused.

"Is she back to her old self?"

"Yes, she is."

"What was her problem?"

"Uh…Why don't we go? Don't want to be late for the show." Arianna grabbed her purse, shut the door and took Bruce's hand. She was too embarrassed to tell him what was wrong with Emma. It's not like it was going to happen anyway.

When the two of them walked out of the apartment building, Arianna was surprised at what she saw. Instead of a car there was a carriage with flowers bordering the outside. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. It took her a few minutes to react.

"What's with this?"

"Well, you said you were still a little nervous getting in a car. I thought this might be easier for you."

"You did this for me?" A smile appeared on her face as she hugged him. "That's so sweet of you. Thank you." She wasn't even going to ask him where he got a carriage from. Of course being a billionaire he was sure to have connections.

"Your welcome. So, should we get going?"

"Sounds good."

Bruce helped Arianna into the carriage and they were off. The driver had asked if Arianna was Bruce's new girlfriend. She blushed while Bruce said she was a friend.

After that awkward question the ride was nice. Bruce said that earlier that day Emma was quiet and barely said anything. He wanted to know what was going on with her, but Arianna didn't say. She then changed the subject. Bruce knew she did that on purpose so he didn't question any further about Emma's mood change.

They soon arrived at the dance performance. As they were walking to the balcony everyone was staring at them and a few were whispering. Finally, Arianna got tired of them.

"Would you stop staring? We are just friends going out for an evening. Nothing more."

Bruce chuckled as he pulled her away. "That seemed to stop them."

"I don't know why people have to stare."

"Maybe because I'm known as the playboy billionaire. I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm usually with a different woman every time I come out."

"What I've noticed is that you haven't done that for awhile."

Bruce paused for a moment as he thought about it. He never thought about it, but she was right. He hadn't brought a woman out for awhile. Come to think of it he hadn't done that since…Bruce looked at Arianna who was giving him a confused look.

"Are you all right? You just stopped."

"I'm fine. Let's go sit down."

The performance soon started when they down. Arianna watched with much interest. It had been a long time since she saw a dance performance.

Bruce looked over and saw the gleam in Arianna's eyes. A small smile crept on her face as she continued watching. Watching her brought a smile to his own face. There was something there that he couldn't quite place. Whenever he thought about her he would find himself smiling. He always wanted to do nice things for her.

Sadness washed over Arianna as she continued watching the dance. Her heart ached to be on that stage. How great it would be to travel and dance in different cities. Her smile soon disappeared and was replaced with tears.

Intermission soon came and Arianna stood up and left the balcony; Bruce followed. He found her just outside, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed and eyes closed. As he got closer he saw tears rolling down her face.

"Arianna, are you all right?"

Arianna opened here eyes as she quickly wiped her tears. "I'm fine."

"Liar. Please tell me what's wrong. Is it the dance? Do you not like it?"

"Yes, I love it. That's the problem. Before my accident I loved dancing. I wanted to be a professional. I had been dancing since I was six and I just graduated Juilliard. I made a stupid mistake. I was an alcoholic and that one time I drove when I was drunk. That one time is all it took. I messed up my knee and I could dance any more. I tried, but it's too painful."

Bruce wiped a tear from Arianna's eye then embraced her in a hug. He said nothing as she cried. After a few minutes Arianna pulled away, wiping her tears. She looked at Bruce and managed a small smile.

"Sorry about that."

"You don't need to apologize. We can leave if you want."

"No, I'm fine. This is the first dance performance I've seen since my accident. When I realized I couldn't dance any more I avoided it. I shouldn't stop seeing it just because I can't do it. Dancing will always be apart of me even if I can't do it."

"Do you want to go back in?"

Arianna nodded.

The rest of the night went smoothly. Arianna didn't have any more outbursts and when the performance was over she was feeling better. She regretted not coming to see dance earlier.

As Arianna was lying in bed that night, she still felt sad about what had happened. There was also something else she felt; happiness. The happiness she felt out weighed the sadness. She couldn't understand why being in Bruce's arms made her feel better. Every time she was near him she felt safe. She wouldn't get too close, though. She would never get close to anyone again. That only leads to pain and heartache.


	8. Chapter 8

It had been a stupid thing for her to do. She knew what would happen, yet she did it anyway. She was angry at herself. She should have known better and things only got worse at work.

Throughout the day, Arianna limped and occasionally would lean on the wall or table. When the kids were at recess it only got worse with chasing kids around and playing with them. she tried to put on a brave face, but when Emma came for lunch she saw right through Arianna.

"You're knee is hurting, isn't it?" Arianna nodded. "You tried dancing."

"Yeah. It was stupid."

"Did you take anything for the pain?"

"Nothing helps."

"Well, just take it easy. So, how was your night?"

"It was great. We rode in a carriage to the theater."

"A carriage? Really?"

"Yes really. I told him about my accident and that I'm still a little afraid of cars."

"Did you tell him why you got in the accident?"

"I told him I had a drinking problem, but I didn't tell him why I started."

"Be careful, Ari."

"I will, don't worry."

The rest of the day went by slowly and Arianna was glad when it was time to go home. All she wanted to do was sleep for the rest of the day. Halfway t to the bus stop, Arianna got an idea. She wasn't sure where the idea came from, but she thought it was a good idea so decided to go through with it.

Ignoring the pain in knee, she went to the nearest store, grabbed a few items, checked out then was on her way.

A few minutes later she was standing in the front of Wayne Enterprises. It was much bigger up close. She had never been here before so she was hoping she could find her way. When she walked in she was pleased to see a receptionist.

"Excuse me, which floor is Bruce Wayne on?"

The receptionist looked up from the computer. She didn't look more than twenty. Her black hair was in a messy bun and she wore simple black pants with a black tank top. She looked annoyed as she chomped on her gum.

"Do you have an appointment?" She blew a bubble with her gum.

"No, but I-"

The bubble popped. "Sorry, but if you don't have an appointment you can't see Mr. Wayne."

"Shouldn't that be up to his personal secretary?"

"Mr. Wayne is very busy and can't be bothered."

"Can you at least call him?"

"What part of 'he's busy' don't you understand?"

Arianna glared at her. "You-"

"I will take care of this, Jill."

Arianna looked over at who spoke and saw an older man with a kind smile.

"Please, follow me."

Arianna didn't know who he was, but she followed anyway.

"I'm Lucius Fox and I'm guessing you're Arianna."

"Yeah, how did you know?"

"Mr. Wayne talks about you and you are the only woman who has come to see him."

"He talks about me?"

"Quite a lot."

The two of them stepped in an elevator and Lucius pushed the button.

"So I'm guessing Bruce is here?"

"Yes, he is. I'm sure he will be pleased to see you."

The elevator soon stopped and the doors opened.

"Follow the hall that way and turn left. You can't miss his office."

"Thank you."

Arianna felt nervous mainly because this was her first time here. Another reason was because she wasn't exactly sure why she was doing this. The idea had come from nowhere. She didn't even know why she had thought of Bruce at that moment.

The look on Emma's face when Arianna walked in was priceless. Her mouth almost hit the floor; Arianna laughed.

"What are you doing here? You never come here. Came to surprise me with food?" Emma smiled.

"No, actually I came to surprise Bruce."

Emma's smile faded as she looked through the window to Bruce's office. He was slumped in his chair with his eyes closed. Emma looked back at Arianna. "I'm not sure if he's really asleep, but go ahead."

Arianna opened the door and Bruce didn't even budge. A smile crept on her face as she put her sack down then walked over to the desk.

"Wake up." She said as she slammed her hands down on the desk.

Bruce jumped, almost falling out of his chair. Arianna laughed. "I guess you really were asleep."

Bruce looked up at her with surprise. "Arianna, what are you doing here?"

"I decided that since you've surprised me a few times I will surprise you."

Arianna went and got the sack and put it on the desk. "Sorry it's nothing fancy. It was a last minute idea."

"That's nice of you."

Bruce noticed his secretary peeking through the window with great interest. He stood up to close the blinds.

"You do know what she's going to think, don't you?"

Bruce shrugged. "Let her think what she wants."

"You're a bad man, Mr. Wayne." Arianna giggled. She started taking things out of the sack. "I hope I got some things you like. There's ham and cheese sandwich, chicken, macaroni salad and fruit punch."

Bruce smiled at her. "All my favorite."

"Liar."

"Ok, so maybe not my favorite, but I do like them."

As Arianna went to sit down she winced in pain. She tried to hide her pain, but Bruce already saw.

"Are you all right?"

"Yes, my knee is just acting up. It does that some times."

"Did you take anything for the pain?"

"You sound just like Emma. And no I didn't. Nothing I take helps. Now sit down and eat your lunch."

Bruce chuckled. "Yes ma'am."

"So why were you sleeping? We weren't out that late."

"I got an emergency phone call and had to come in to work."

Arianna nodded. "Oh, before I forget. You really should fire your receptionist. She's very rude. I was ready to punch her."

Bruce smiled. "I'll get right on that."

For the next hour the two of them ate as they talked about anything that came to mind. There was something that Arianna felt as she spent more time with Bruce, but she couldn't place what it was.

Both had lost track of time and they were only brought out of their own world when Emma buzzed in.

"Excuse Mr. Wayne, but you're four o'clock appointment is here."

"Thank you, Emma. I'll be right out."

"Looks like I should go." Arianna said as she stood up.

"It was nice that you stopped by."

She smiled. "I'm glad I did too. Well, have fun with your appointment."

Bruce walked Arianna out of the room. Emma looked at her with a look that said "You better not have done anything." Arianna just smiled and waved.

When Arianna got home the first thing she did was take a hot bath to relax. It had been a long day and her knee hurting only made it worse. The day did get better when she saw Bruce. Just thinking about him brought a smile to her face.

After her bath she made some tea and was about to sit down when there was a knock at the door. As soon as she opened the door, Emma came walking in.

"All right, spill. What did you and Bruce do?"

"We talked and ate lunch."

"That's it?"

"Yes."

Emma stared at her friend for a moment before she spoke. "That better be it."

Arianna rolled her eyes as she sat down; Emma sat next to her.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Don't lie. I know that look. Something's on your mind."

Arianna sighed as she stared at her tea. "I'm sure I know what I'm feeling, but I want a second opinion." She looked at Emma. "Every time I'm near Bruce or just think about him I get this weird feeling. And today I thought about surprising him. I don't even know why that crossed my mind. Is it possible I could…" She didn't even want to finish the sentence.

"Be falling for him?" Emma finished. "It is possible. Ho does he make you feel exactly?"

"I don't know. I'm always happy when I'm around him. I get a smile just thinking about him. When we're apart I can't wait to see him again. Crap." Arianna slapped her forehead.

Emma smiled. "You're falling for."

Arianna looked at her with horror. "I can't. I don't want to fall for him. I don't want to end up like last time."

"What are you going to do?"

Arianna swirled her tea around, not really sure what she was going to do. She looked at her best friend with watery eyes. "Emma."

Emma nodded in understanding. "Are you sure that's what you want to do though?"

"I don't want to end up like last time. I can't do it."

"What will you say to him?"

Arianna was silent as she stared into her tea as if it would give her the answers. So many thoughts were going through her mind. What could she do? She didn't want to repeat what happened. She couldn't do it. She _wouldn'_t do it.


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello all. I know it's been awhile since I've updated, but I'm back. A lot of things have happened lately. Things are finally starting to slow down so I'm hoping to update more. Anyway, sorry for making you all wait and hope you enjoy this chapter ^_^**

* * *

By the next day Arianna still didn't know what she was going to do. She stayed up most of the night thinking about her options. The more she thought about it the more she realized that she was falling for Bruce Wayne even though she didn't want to admit it.

Things were only made more difficult when Bruce called to make dinner arrangements. Arianna agreed, but afterwards she felt guilty. Yesterday she had been happy and having fun aside from her little dancing stunt. Now she was depressed and confused.

Last night Emma had given her advice. It was good advice, though she wasn't sure if it was the right thing. Of course she didn't know what the right thing to do was in this situation. Arianna sighed as she came to a decision. She needed a second opinion.

She sat on a park bench, staring at the phone in her hand. It had been awhile since they last talked and their previous conversation did not end well. She took a deep breath then dialed the number.

"Hello?"

"Hey mom."

"Arianna, it's good to hear from you. How have you been? You haven't gone back to your old ways have you?"

"No, I haven't. I called because I need your opinion on something. I met this guy and I think I've really fallen for him."

"So what's the problem? Are you afraid to get close because of your last relationship?"

"Yes. Should I give a relationship another try?"

"Tell me about this man? What's his name? What's he like?"

"He's very sweet and has a romantic side. He's Bruce Wayne."

"The playboy billionaire? You start something with him and you will end up back where you were before you left home. Do you remember what it took to get you back to your normal self? Not to mention getting over your alcohol addiction."

"Of course I remember. It's not that easy to forget."

"I suggest you stay away from him if you know what's good for you."

"Thanks for the advice, mom." Then she hung up.

Arianna sighed as she put her head in her hands. She was confused on what to do. She didn't deny that she had strong feelings for Bruce, but she didn't want to end up like she did before.

* * *

_~Flashback~_

"_Great dance rehearsal everyone." Arianna said. "Since you all did so well I'll let you go early. Don't forget opening night is Friday at eight so I expect you to be there by six so we can go over everything. I'll see you all then."_

_Arianna was excited for putting on her first dance recital. One of the directors at the college saw how good she was and decided to give her a chance. She always loved dancing and she always wanted to direct a dance recital. She worked for many hours putting it together and she hoped that it would turn out all right and maybe she would be able to do more._

_Once she changed back into her regular clothes and packed everything, Arianna was on her way home. She and her boyfriend had dinner plans that night, but since she got done early she was hoping they could start their date night earlier._

_It didn't take her long to get home and was happy to see her boyfriend's car in the drive way. As she made her way down the hall to her room, she heard noises. When she opened the door, Arianna was shocked at what she saw. Her boyfriend was in bed with another woman. Both of them looked in her direction._

"_Arianna, you're home early." He said like it was no big deal._

"_And now I'm leaving." She slammed the door and headed out of the house._

_Michael ran after her with a sheet around his waist. Grabbing her wrist he said, "Arianna wait. Don't be mad."_

_Arianna pulled her wrist away and glared at him. "Why shouldn't I be mad? You're sleeping with another woman. How am I supposed to take that?"_

"_I have no control if other women find me attractive."_

"_No, but you can control having sex with them."_

"_That wouldn't be any fun. Now that you know I don't have to keep this a secret from you. I'll just leave a tie on the front door or something so you know when I have someone over."_

"_I'm not the type of woman who is going to stand back while her boyfriend sleeps around. If that's what you want to do then fine, but I'm gone. And you can have this back." She took off her promise ring and threw it at him. She then left the house without getting any of her things._

_She drove to a place where she always went to think. It was at the top of a hill overlooking the city. She sat on the hood of the car with her knees to her chest, thinking about what had happened. Arianna never figured Michael to be that type of person and she was feeling like a big idiot for not seeing it._

_Arianna wasn't sure how long she had been sitting there, but she finally decided to go to the only place she could go; her mom's. On the way, she couldn't stop crying. She had loved Michael and he betrayed her. There will always be a part of her that loves him; nothing will change that no matter how much she didn't want to love him now._

_As she was driving, Arianna drove past a liquor store. She decided to stop, which would turn out to be her biggest mistake._

_The next few days were not easy for Arianna. Every little thing reminded her of her ex boyfriend even though she tried not to let it get to her. She did eventually go back to Michael's house to get her things. She made sure he was at work before she went._

_The day of the dance performance arrived and Arianna tried to be happy, but she couldn't. She was inspired by hers and Michael's relationship for the dance. It was about a man going through many trials to be with his true love._

_Arianna took a few shots of Black Velvet, then the show went on._

_The performance was a success and surprisingly Arianna didn't screw up any of her parts like she thought she would. Her professor was pleased with the job she'd done and told her he sees a bright future for her in dance._

_Once Arianna said bye to all of the dancers and packed her things, she headed out. For awhile she had forgotten about Michael, but everything came rushing back to her when she saw him by her car and he wasn't alone._

"_Nice performance." He said._

"_Why did you come? And why did you bring her?" Arianna said with as much venom she could muster._

"_I promised you I'd come. I told Kelly about it and she wanted to see it too."_

"_Funny you can keep your promise to come to my performance, but you can't keep your promise about being loyal to me. Now get out of my way."_

"_I don't know what you ever saw in her." Kelly said as they began to walk away. "She's not that pretty and I don't think she's that good of a dancer either."_

_**Ignore them.**__ Arianna thought to herself._

"_I just felt sorry for her. I never really loved her."_

_**Ignore them.**_

"_She isn't very smart. I could make her believe anything."_

_Arianna, who had been in the middle of unlocking her car, threw down her keys and walked up to Michael._

"_So, you're saying that everything we had was a lie?"_

_Michael turned around as he chuckled. "Not only are you not smart, but you're also slow. You never can tell when a guy is being sincere or if he's lying."_

_The next thing that happened, neither Michael nor Kelly saw coming. Arianna bawled up her fist then punched Michael right in the face. He was surprised that Arianna even had that much strength to make him stagger back. _

"_You bitch. It's not nice to hit people." Kelly said._

_Arianna raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "You're telling me what's nice or not? You know, it's also not nice to have someone you love cheat on you."_

_Arianna went back to her car, picked up her keys and got in. she looked at Michael one last time, who was still trying to process what just happened. Then she drove off to the liquor store._

_~End of flashback~_

* * *

Arianna sighed as she came to a conclusion. She didn't want to go back to her old ways. It had taken her a long time to get back to her normal self. She dialed the number, knowing what she had to do.

"Hello?"

"Hey Bruce, its Arianna. Listen, Emma is sick and we don't know what's wrong so I have to take her the hospital. I don't know how long it's going to take so I think we should cancel dinner plans tonight. I'm sorry."

"It's all right, I understand. Maybe tomorrow night."

"Yeah, maybe." Then she hung up, wondering if she was making the right choice.


	10. Chapter 10

The next day Arianna spent most of the morning cleaning her apartment. She didn't sleep much last night and even now she wasn't tired. She had just finished putting dished away when her phone rang.

"Hello?"

"You know, it's a good thing I catch on quick." Emma said. "Mr. Wayne came into the office this morning and he asked how I was feeling and wanted to know what the doctor said."

"Oh, I forgot to tell you I used you as an excuse to get out of dinner with Bruce."

"Yeah, a little warning would have been nice. You're lucky. He did tell me that if I felt ill then I could take the day off. I just might have to take that offer. Want to get coffee and you can explain this to me?"

"Sure. I'll meet you at our usual café."

It didn't take long for Arianna to get to the café. By the time she got there, though, Emma was already there with coffee for her friend. Arianna thanked her as she sat down. The first thing Emma asked was what happened yesterday.

"We already talked about this." Arianna reminded.

"I know, but what made you go through with it? I've seen how your face lights up when you're around Bruce."

"I thought about Michael. And I know Bruce's rep. I don't want to be betrayed again."

Emma nodded. "Understandable. What are you going to tell him?"

"I haven't figured that out yet."

Silence fell between them as Arianna was caught up in thought and Emma began reading the newspaper she had brought with her. Arianna wasn't sure what she was going to tell Bruce, but she knew she couldn't put it off. He had to know.

She was snapped out of her thoughts when Emma said, "There's been another robbery. A diamond was stolen."

"The police never did find the guy who stole the Egyptian artifact, did they?"

"Nope. No sign of the artifact either. I'm sure that same guy stole the diamond."

"Makes me wonder what this guy is doing. Is he going to return them for a reward? No one saw his face so he could get away with it."

Emma put down the paper and looked at her friend. "How do you feel about Batman?"

Arianna was confused, not sure how the subject got on Batman. "Well, I'm grateful that he saved my life. Other than that, I have no opinion on him. It's not like I know the guy."

"People still think he's a criminal and should be brought to justice."

"He does break some laws, but he's helping. I don't see a crime in that."

"But he thinks he's above everyone." A new voice said.

Arianna and Emma turned towards the person who spoke. "It's not nice to listen in on others conversation." Emma said.

"Forgive me, but I couldn't help myself. When someone mentions Batman I have to hear what they say."

"You're a reporter." Arianna assumed.

"Very good. My name's Jason and I would be interested in having more of your opinions on Batman."

"No comment." Emma said as she turned back around.

"What about you?" He looked at Arianna. "He saved your life."

"Yes, he did and in my book that doesn't make him a bad guy. Now leave us alone."

The two friends started talking about other things, but it wasn't long before Jason spoke again.

"Aren't you that girl who's with Bruce Wayne?"

Arianna was silent as she thought about what to say. She had been hanging around him for awhile, though they never made their relationship official. She wasn't sure if he even wanted to date. She didn't want to say yes and she definitely didn't want to be hounded by reporters. "I'm sure you have me confused with someone else." She answered without looking at him.

"Maybe you're right."

Jason said no more, but Arianna had a feeling he wasn't going to let the subject go so easily.

Soon the two friends left the café and for the rest of the day they hung out and for awhile Arianna forgot about her problems and what she was going to tell Bruce. She only remembered when she was left alone back at her apartment.

To get her mind off things for awhile, Arianna put in some rock music. She began to dance as she cleaned her apartment. It was just little dancing so she wouldn't hurt her knee.

After a few minutes there was a knock at the door. When she opened the door there was a man she had seen a few times, but never spoke to. he was in the apartment next to hers.

"Can I help you?"

"Yes, you can turn that music down. Don't see why you people need your music so dang loud."

"Sorry."

Arianna closed the door then turned down the music. It wasn't that loud so she didn't understand why he was complaining.

"I wish I could live in a house. Then I wouldn't have to worry about grumpy old neighbors."

The next day, Arianna did her best to get Bruce out of her mind. She did still need to tell him she didn't want to see him anymore, but she wasn't sure exactly what to say.

She did feel guilty because she had ignored his call last night and again this morning. Arianna decided that she would definitely tell him tonight. He deserves an explanation.

* * *

At Wayne enterprises, Bruce was having a hard time concentrating on his work. He tried calling Arianna a few time, but she didn't answer. If his secretary wasn't friends with her then he would think that something happened, but Emma assured him that Arianna was fine.

"Excuse me, Mr. Wayne." Emma said as she peered in. "Your meeting in in five minutes."

"Thank you, Emma." He stood from his desk then headed out, but stopped next to Emma. "She doesn't want to see me anymore, does she?"

"You should ask her that."

"Kind of hard to ask when she won't talk to me." Then he walked away.

Bruce pushed all thoughts of Arianna out of his mind. This was an important meeting and he didn't need any distractions today.

* * *

Later that night Arianna sat by the phone. She kept picking up the phone then putting it back down, still not sure what to say to Bruce. After a few more minutes of thinking she took a deep breath and picked up the phone, but before she could dial, there was a knock at the door. Arianna put down the phone and opened the door.

"Can we talk?"

Arianna nodded as she let Bruce in. "Bruce, I'm sorry I haven't called you back."

"Why haven't you?"

"I…well, I…"Arianna sighed. "I don't think this relationship should go any further. I mean I don't know where you want this to go, but I don't want to lead you on."

"You seemed to be having a good time before. What changed?"

"I just don't think I'm suited for your life style."

"We can make this work if you just give it a chance."

"No, it won't. And I don't want rumors to start saying I'm another one of Bruce Wayne's whores."

Pain flashed through Bruce's eyes, but just as quickly as it appeared it was gone. "Fine, if that's what you want." Without another word he left.

Arianna collapsed on the couch. She didn't mean to hurt Bruce that way.

_Why did I even say that? _Arianna thought.

Bruce sat in his room, staring out the window. He couldn't understand why Arianna said what she did. She always seemed to be happy when he was around. What had changed? He couldn't blame her for saying it though. After all he was known as the playboy billionaire.


	11. Chapter 11

Over the next few days Arianna tried to forget Bruce Wayne. She was able to fool everyone at work, but there was no fooling her best friend. Emma tried many times to talk about Bruce, though Arianna would just change the subject.

Arianna just got back to her apartment building after a long day at work. She was looking forward to a long bubble bath to relax. As she was walking up to her door she noticed her grumpy neighbor talking to another man. They both looked at her then continued their conversation. Arianna ignored them as she unlocked her door and went inside.

She wasted no time in starting her bath. It had been a long day since she got little sleep and that made the day drag on. It didn't help that everyone at work was asking her how she and Bruce were doing. All she wanted to do now was forget him. She was hoping to do just that when she went out with Emma.

After a few hours and twenty minutes getting ready, Arianna was on her way with Emma. They went to a new restaurant that just opened up. When they sat down at a table, Arianna looked around.

"This place isn't owned by Bruce, is it?" She asked.

"No why?"

"I thought I saw…never mind." Now she was hallucinating about him.

"Ari, I'm your best friend."

Arianna looked at Emma, not liking where the conversation was going.

"Do you think you made the right choice?"

"Of course I did. You know what Michael did and Bruce is the biggest player in the world."

"If you're always afraid of getting hurt then you're going to be alone. I've seen you when you're with Bruce. You're happy and your face lights up."

Arianna sighed in annoyance. "I really don't want to talk about this. I'm trying to forget about him."

The rest of dinner went by without another mention of Bruce Wayne. They discussed taking a vacation somewhere, both needing some time away from the city for awhile.

While the two friends were having dinner, Bruce was also trying to get his mind off things. He decided to patrol the city, hoping to find any clues to the thief that stole the Egyptian artifact and the diamond. He was sure it was the same person, but where was he hiding? He had talked to Gordon earlier and the police weren't having any luck either.

Bruce spent half the night searching, but he found nothing. There was no trail to follow. He finally crawled into bed around four in the morning, but it seemed he could find no rest in his sleep either. His dreams were filled with Arianna and her words haunting him.

Alfred came in the room and saw that Bruce was still sleeping. As he opened the curtains he said, "You're going to be late."

Bruce pulled the covers over his head. "I'm the boss. I can be late if I want to."

"Didn't you say you had an important meeting this morning?"

Bruce groaned. He did have a meeting he couldn't miss. After a few more minutes he finally dragged himself out of bed. Once he had breakfast and was dressed he was off. He really wasn't looking forward to this meeting, but he had to go.

The meeting went by very slowly and Bruce just wished he could get out of there. He tried keeping his mind on what was going on, but his thoughts kept going back to Arianna. He was thankful when the meeting was over and wasted no time in getting back to his office.

Bruce wanted to call Arianna, but he didn't know what he would say. She made her feelings very clear. Maybe he should just leave her alone. He was finally snapped out of his thoughts when he heard the door open. Looking up, he saw Emma.

"You should just call her." She said.

"Call who?" Bruce pretended to be clueless, though Emma could see right through it.

"You know who I mean. You've been staring at your phone for an hour. Just call her."

Bruce raised an eyebrow. "You're giving me permission to call your best friend?"

"I don't mean to sound stalkerish, but I've watched you this morning. You're acting the same way Arianna is."

"What do you mean?"

"Arianna won't admit it, but I know she's been thinking about you. She's afraid because of what happened in her last relationship. And just because someone says something doesn't mean that's what they really mean."

"What happened in her last relationship is?"

"Just call her." Then Emma left, leaving Bruce to his thoughts.

After a few more minutes of debate, Bruce picked up the phone and dialed Arianna.

"Hello?" Arianna answered, sounding frustrated.

"Arianna, its Bruce." He was silent as he thought about what he was going to say. Arianna beat him to it.

"Even when I flat out tell you I don't want to see you, you can't take the hint? I don't want anything to do with you."

"Arianna, I-"

"Just leave me alone." Then she hung up.

Bruce sighed as he hung up the phone. He knew it would never have worked anyway. He was just fooling himself.

Later that day after Emma got off work, she and Arianna went shopping. Arianna had been the one to suggest it which seemed strange to Emma since Arianna never really liked shopping. They were looking through some dresses when Emma finally asked what was on her mind.

"Why did you want to come shopping?"

"Because I wanted to."

"You don't go shopping unless you're really in need of something or you want to get your mind off something. Which is it?"

Arianna was silent for a moment as she looked through a few dresses. She didn't really want to talk about, but Emma stood there, staring at her. Arianna gave an annoyed sigh. "You told Bruce to call me."

"He was already debating it. He would have called you even if I didn't say anything."

"And exactly what did you say to him?"

"I didn't tell him much. I just told him that you were going through the same thing."

Arianna looked at her. "What does that mean? I could care less about Bruce Wayne."

"Yeah, that's why you seem more depressed and lost in thought. I know you think about him. Give him a chance."

"We've been through this. You know his rep. If I try to be with him then I'll end up hurt again."

"So are you never going to date again because you're afraid of getting hurt? You'll hurt yourself if you do that."

"I'm not having this discussion. I'm going to look at the washers since mine broke this morning."

Arianna then went up the escalator. Emma stood there, not sure if she should go after her or just leave her alone. She decided to leave Arianna alone for now. She then made her way over to the purses.

As Emma was browsing, she wondered if she had made things worse. She really couldn't sit back and watch both her best friend and her boss are depressed. She didn't like seeing Arianna sad.

Almost half an hour passed when Emma heard yelling. She looked around and saw people running for the exit. She was confused until she smelt smoke and saw fire coming from the second floor. Panic came over her as she thought about Arianna. Emma tried to run up the escalator, but a security guard grabbed her and started dragging her out.

"My friend is up there. I need to help her."

"The other guards are getting the people out from the second floor. Your friend will be fine."

Emma had no choice but to go outside. When she got outside, her heart stopped. Fire was now coming out of the windows. More people kept coming out from the building and Emma was hoping to see Arianna, but she never came out. After a few more minutes of waiting she decided to head in there. She only took a few steps before she was caught by one of the firemen.

"I have to help my friend."

"We'll get everyone out. Don't worry."

"It's hard not to worry when my best friend is in a burning building!"

Inside, Arianna tried to make her way to the escalator or a window, but she was trapped by the fire. Her vision started getting blurry with all the smoke and she started coughing. Part of the ceiling fell close to her, making her jump. She tried moving away, but she was already up against the wall.

_So, this is how it ends. _She thought as she closed her eyes. _Bruce, I'm sorry._

Arianna was now regretting what she had said to him. Now she would give anything to tell him how sorry she was.

Just as Arianna thought she was going to die, she felt herself being picked up. Opening her eyes, she saw Batman.

"Don't worry I'm going to get you out of here." He told her.

Batman maneuvered his way through the fire. He tried to hurry since Arianna was coughing like mad, but it was hard to tell which way was out. Soon he could see a window through the smoke and fire.

"I didn't get to tell him." Arianna mumbled.

"Hold on, Arianna, I'm not going to let you die."

He made a dash towards the window, but some debris fell in front of him. Batman quickly dodged and continued to the window. Once he got there he kicked the glass, took out his grappling hook and jumped out the window. Holding Arianna tight, he released the grappling and swung his way to the ground. Once he hit the ground he wasted no time in getting Arianna to an ambulance. He looked at Arianna one last time then took off before anyone could hassle him.

Emma had seen Batman come out with Arianna. She ran over to the ambulance and saw the paramedics were already gave her oxygen. Arianna was half conscious, but she was alive and Emma was thankful. They left to take her to the hospital and they allowed Emma to ride with them.

When they arrived at the hospital Arianna was more alert. They did some tests to make sure she was fine. The doctors wanted to keep her over night, but Arianna insisted she was fine. They finally let her go when she stopped coughing.

"I thought I was going to lose you." Emma said as they left.

"If it weren't for Batman I would have been."

"I would have saved you if the stupid people would have let me back in."

"Then two of us would have been trapped."

"Is something on your mind?"

Arianna stopped walking and looked at Emma. "No, why do you ask?"

"You seem distant and you haven't stopped looking at the ground."

"I almost burned to death. I think that gives me enough reason to be distant."

Arianna then went home after she told Emma to go home. Emma wanted to stay with her to make sure she would be ok. Arianna said she would call her in the morning to let her know she didn't die during the night.

Once Arianna got home, however, she had a hard time falling asleep. This wasn't the first time she was close to death, but this time was different. This time she wanted to live so she could see someone again. So she could apologize for what she said.

The next morning she called Emma and she wanted to come over. Arianna appreciated her friend worrying about her, but she was getting annoyed. She told Emma she would be fine and to stop worrying about her so much.

Arianna called in from work today since she had too much going on. She then headed out.

All the way there she kept thinking of what she would say, but nothing sounded right. She knew she hurt him greatly and she wasn't sure if he was going to forgive her. All too soon it seemed she arrived at Wayne Enterprises. Arianna didn't even bother with the receptionist, which Arianna saw was someone else.

She arrived on the level where Bruce's office was and saw Emma typing away at the computer.

Emma looked up when she heard someone approach the desk. "So it's not ok for me to see you, but its ok for you to see me?"

"Actually, I'm here to see Bruce."

Emma was surprised by this. "He's uh…well, he's talking with Mr. Fox right now. I can tell him you stopped by."

"Would it be all right if I waited in his office?"

"Usually I would say no, but since it's you I don't see a problem."

"Thanks."

Arianna sat in Bruce's office, still wondering what she was going to say. She wasn't sure how long she sat there, but she was snapped out of her thoughts when the door opened. She stood up as Bruce walked.

"I thought Emma was lying when she said you were here."

"I wanted to apologize for what I said. It's not what I meant. I was scared and I didn't want to get hurt again."

"So what do you mean?

"I have strong feelings for you. i was afraid that I would get hurt like in my last relationship. I was engaged once, but he…I caught him cheating on me. I know your reputation and I didn't want to end up like before."

"I would never hurt you like that." Bruce said as he walked up to her. "I have strong feelings for you too. Feelings I haven't felt in a long time. I'm afraid too, but I'm willing to give it a shot if you are."

"I'm sure Emma told you I was in the fire."

"She mentioned it. I heard they still don't know how it started."

"I thought I was going to die and the only person I thought about was you. I don't want to be alone because I'm afraid of getting close. I don't know where our relationship would go or if we will even last, but I am willing to find out."

"So Arianna, will you be my girlfriend?"

Arianna smiled. "Yes."

Bruce returned the smile as he leaned in and kissed her.

* * *

**This chapter was difficult to write for some reason, but I fianlly got it out. Hope you all enjoyed it. **

**Question: I'm thinking about how Arianna is going to find out Bruce is Batman. Do you want her to figure it out? Or do you want Bruce to tell her? I'm still trying to figure it out so if you have any ideas I'll be happy to hear them ^_^**


	12. Chapter 12

"So, it's official?" Emma asked later when she and Arianna were having coffee.

"Yeah, it is. I tried forgetting him, but I wanted to be with him so I decided to give it a shot. If he breaks my heart then I'll just punch him like I did Michael."

"I don't think you have anything to worry about. I've seen the way he looks at you. You know it's not going to be long before others find out you two are dating. Paparazzi will be all over you. What will you do?"

Arianna shrugged. "I know dating a billionaire will have its prices and I'll have them stalking me, but I'll figure out what to do when they come."

"Just don't punch them. I don't think that would look good."

"For me? Or for Bruce?"

"For both of you. Did he tell you about the charity event next week?"

"Yeah. We aren't going to tell anyone we are dating, but if they ask we won't deny it. Of course like you said it won't take them long especially if he has his arm wrapped around me."

"I'll be there so if it gets too much for you I'll bail you out."

Arianna smiled. "Thanks."

The week leading up to the event had been wonderful. Arianna was so glad that she gave Bruce a chance. She hadn't been this happy in a long time. Occasionally she would surprise him with lunch or he would surprise her. Everyone at Arianna's work now knew that she and Bruce were officially dating and it wouldn't be long before the whole city knew. She wondered if she could handle all the attention she knew she would get.

Arianna was just walking back from the corner store when something caught her eye. She glanced in the alley way and saw her neighbor, Adam, had another man by his shirt, shaking his first. She didn't think much of it until she heard them talk.

"You were supposed to bring them to me." Adam said.

"Hey, I don't work for you. If you want them then you will have to take that up with my boss."

"Your boss and I had a deal."

"I have no control over what my boss does."

Adam took out a knife and pressed it to the man's throat. Arianna wasn't sure what she should do. Should she help the guy out? Of course that may get her hurt or worse and also they both sounded like criminals. She could call the cops, but by the time they show up the two men may be gone. Besides, she didn't have proof of anything. She didn't even know what they were talking about.

"I'd like you to send a message to your boss." Adam looked in the direction of Arianna and she quickly ran passed the alley, hoping he didn't see her.

She didn't stop or look back until she was in her apartment. As she put her groceries away she couldn't help but wonder what they had been up to and what had they been talking about. Well, it was no good dwelling out on it. It wasn't like she was going to find out.

The next day as Arianna was on her way to work, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched. Every so often she would glance around, but saw no one looking at her. She shook her head, probably just paranoid from what she saw last night.

The incident soon left her head as she arrived at work and was around all the kids. Little kids always put a smile on her face. They were so care free and innocent with no worries at all.

Arianna was just settling a fight between two kids when another came up to her, tugging on her shirt.

"Ms. Ari, there is a man staring at the school."

"Where at?"

The kid pointed and Arianna went to look. She didn't see anyone looking at the school so she didn't think much about it, but in the back of her mind she was a little worried. She would have to keep an eye out for any weirdoes poking around.

Arianna was happy when work ended and it was time for dinner since Bruce was taking her out. He wouldn't tell her where so she was curious and excited on where they were going.

There was a knock at the door and Arianna opened it with a smile. "Right on time."

"You sound surprised." Bruce chuckled.

"Just making a comment. Are those for me?" Arianna asked, seeing the flowers in his hand.

"Who else would they be for?"

Arianna shrugged. "A secret girlfriend."

"If I had a secret girlfriend-which I don't-I wouldn't bring the flowers to you."

"True point. Come in while I put these in water."

Arianna took the flowers from Bruce then put them in a vase. While she was doing that, a group of key chains hanging on the wall caught his attention. There were many different colors and said something different like 30 days, 60 days and 90 days.

"My reward for staying sober." Arianna said when she saw what Bruce was looking at.

"They reward you with key chains?"

"Yeah. Not much of a reward, but my 180 days glows in the dark."

"At lest you won't lose it then." They both laughed as they headed out.

Arianna was getting better at riding in cars. She wasn't as afraid as she once was and Bruce made she he was careful since he didn't want her to have a panic attack, though she assured him she wouldn't.

A few minutes had passed and Arianna noticed that they were headed away from the busy city. She looked at Bruce with confusion. "You aren't taking me to an abandoned warehouse and having your way with me, are you?"

Arianna sounded so serious that Bruce thought that she actually _was_ serious, but then he glanced at her and saw a smile on her face. "Nothing of the sort."

"So, you going to tell me where we're going?"

"No."

Soon Arianna could see a house in the distance, but as they got closer she realized it was bigger than a house. It was a mansion.

"You're taking me to your home?"

"What? Not fancy enough for you?"

Arianna laughed. "I'm just surprised is all. We've only been officially dating as of yesterday and already you're taking me home with you."

Once inside, Arianna couldn't stop looking wide eyed at everything around her. She had never been in such a big and nice place before.

"You live here? Well, of course you live here. Someone as rich as you wouldn't live in a rundown apartment. So, why did you bring me here?" Arianna turned to Bruce and saw him smiling. "What are you smiling about?"

"You."

"What about me?"

"You're just cute."

"Um, thank you."

Bruce chuckled as he grabbed Arianna's hand and lead her out back. Arianna's eyes widened when she saw a table set up with candles and flowers.

"Wow, you did this? It's lovely."

"I would love to take full credit for it, but I had help."

"Who would that me?"

"That would be me."

Arianna looked over at who spoke and saw an older man carrying a tray with two plates. Arianna and Bruce sat down as the man put the plates on the table.

"This is Alfred." Bruce introduced.

"I'm the butler."

"You have a butler?"

"Don't look at me like that. I don't make him wait on me hand and foot. He's like a father to me."

Alfred soon left the couple to their dinner. Arianna joked that Bruce could probably hold the Olympics in his backyard.

The night went better then Arianna expected. She was so happy to be with Bruce. He made he felt safe. She hadn't been this happy in a long time.

Once they were done with dinner, Alfred brought out desert.

"Pumpkin pie with whipped cream." Arianna smiled in delight. "My favorite."

"Is it?" Bruce asked, trying to sound surprised, but failed.

"You asked Emma."

"Yes I did."

"Thank you, Alfred."

"You're welcome, Ms. Cooper."

"Call me Arianna. Ms. Cooper makes me sound old." Arianna laughed.

"You're welcome, Ms. Arianna." Then Alfred headed back inside.

"You can leave out the Ms. too." Arianna hollered after him

Bruce laughed. "He's very polite."

"I've noticed."

The night was so wonderful that Arianna didn't want it to end, but it did. Bruce did promise her they could have more dinners like that which made Arianna very happy.

Soon the day came and it was time for the charity event and Arianna was more nervous then she had been in her entire life. Not only would this be her second big event in Gotham, but she would be going with Bruce Wayne. She was trying to prepare herself to be bombarded with questions and cameras.

When they stopped in front of the building, Bruce looked at Arianna. "You don't have to do this, you know?"

Arianna looked at him with confusion. "What?"

"You don't have to be here with me. As soon as we step out of the car everyone will be on us and asking questions."

"I know and I'm prepared for that…kind of. I want to be with you and I know that paparazzi will be all over us. That's what comes with dating a famous person."

Bruce smiled at her. He then got out of the car and went over to Arianna's side to open the door for her. Arianna took a deep breath as she took Bruce's hand and stepped out of the car. As soon as she was out, cameras started snapping. Arianna could hear people making comments. One of them said, "Why is Bruce Wayne with her? She doesn't look like anything special."

"Ignore them." Bruce whispered. "You're special to me."

Arianna smiled at that. She wasn't going to let what anyone said ruin this night.

Just as they were about to walk into the building, a reporter stopped them and asked if they were dating. Arianna smiled as she answered, "Yes." Then the two of them made their way inside.

"I didn't think you would be the first one to admit it to the press." Bruce said with a smile.

"I'm full of surprises."

"So I've noticed."

Arianna felt a little out of place as she and Bruce walked around the room. While he was greeting and talking to people, Arianna was looking around trying to find Emma. At least she would know one person here that she could talk to.

The couple made their way through the crowd and over to the refreshments table. Bruce poured them both some punch.

"Still a little nervous?" Bruce asked.

"A little. What do you do at these functions anyway?"

Bruce shrugged. "Talk to people, maybe make a speech. I'm donating some money to this charity so I'm probably going to have to say a few words."

"Better you then me."

"You used to dance in front of people. How is talking any different?"

"I'm better at dancing then talking."

"Ari."

Arianna turned at the sound of her name and was embraced by Emma. "Good to see you too, Emma."

Emma pulled away as she smiled. "How is the new couple doing at their first event?"

"Just fine."

"She was the one who announced it to the reporters that we were dating." Bruce said.

Emma looked at Arianna with shock. "Really? I thought for sure Bruce would speak up first."

"Hey, just because I am scared and nervous doesn't mean I have to keep my mouth shut."

Emma laughed. "Whatever you say, Ari."

The charity event continued and soon everyone was talking about Arianna and Bruce. Some people came up to them and asked if it was true that they were dating. As someone was walking away Arianna caught what they were saying.

"How long do you think that's going to last?"

"I say a few days. A week at the most."

"I can't believe some people." Arianna said.

"What are they saying now?"

"Discussing how long our relationship will last."

"I actually can't blame them. Before you came along I had a different girl every time."

"It's not the real you."

That caught Bruce off guard. He raised an eye brow. "What do you mean?"

Arianna shrugged. "I just don't think that's how you really are. I've been with you long enough to figure that out. I just don't know why you would pretend to be a playboy."

"What if I wasn't pretending?"

"Then I don't think you would be with me now."

Bruce smiled.

Soon the charity ended and Arianna admitted that it wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. Bruce then dropped her off at her apartment. She kissed him good night then went up.

When Arianna walked in, she stepped on something that crinkled. Looking down she saw it was an envelope. She picked it up and opened it, wondering what it was and who it could be from. What she saw made her eyes widen.

_I know you saw us in the alley. You better watch your step._

She quickly shut her door and locked it. Then she made a run through of the apartment, making sure no one was inside. When she was sure she was alone she sat on her bed, staring at the note. What was she going to do now?


	13. Chapter 13

Arianna got little sleep that night. She kept thinking about the note. Every time she heard a noise she would jump and every so often she would make sure the door and windows were locked. At one point she got so paranoid she turned on her lamp. Eventually Arianna gave up trying to sleep and went out in the living room to watch TV.

Arianna wasn't paying attention to the time so she wasn't sure how long she had been up. She had been concentrating on the TV to keep her mind off the threat. Knocking on the door snapped her out of her concentration, making her jump and fall off the couch. She stood, walked to the door and looked out the peep hole. There was the smiling face of Emma. Arianna let out the breath she didn't realize she was holding as she opened the door.

Emma's smile faded. "Are you all right? You look a little pale."

"I'm fine." Arianna moved so Emma could come in.

"Are we still on for breakfast?"

"Of course. Let me go get changed."

As Arianna went to change, she debated whether she should show Emma the note. Glancing at it, she decided against it. She didn't want to put her best friend in danger.

Arianna was hoping she would feel a little better when they got to the restaurant, but it was worse. she felt like everyone was staring at her and she kept glancing around. At one point the door slammed shut because of the wind, making Arianna nearly jump out of her seat.

"Are you sure you're all right?" Emma asked. "You've been jumpy."

"I'm fine. I just – I didn't sleep much last night and when I did sleep I had a very vivid dream about zombies."

Emma gave her a skeptical look, but said nothing else about it.

After breakfast, Emma headed to work while Arianna walked around. Emma had offered her a ride back home, but Arianna declined. She thought about what she should do. She couldn't keep going while everything around her made her jump. She even had a feeling she was being followed.

After awhile of walking around the city, Arianna had calmed down. She wasn't as paranoid as she was before, though she still kept an eye out. She headed back to her apartment to get ready for her lunch date with Bruce. He was taking her to a new Japanese restaurant that opened.

As Arianna walked into her apartment, she thought about what she should wear. She didn't want to wear something overly fancy, though she also didn't want to wear something plain. It was only a Japanese restaurant, but she wanted to look good for Bruce.

She walked into her room and was immediately grabbed by someone who covered her mouth with a cloth. She struggled to get free, but within seconds her world became black.

* * *

Bruce knocked on Arianna's door. He waited a few minutes, but when there was no answer he knocked again. Still there was no answer. He briefly wondered if she was somewhere else, but shook that thought away. They had spoken last night and made plans on what time he would pick her up. Bruce decided to try the door; it was unlocked.

"Arianna?" He called as he walked in.

The apartment was quiet and there was no sign of Arianna. Bruce noticed Arianna's purse lying on the floor. He knew something wasn't right.

Taking out his phone, he dialed his office.

"Bruce Wayne's office, this is Emma. How may I help you?"

"Emma, its Bruce. Have you heard from Arianna?"

"Uh, not since this morning. Why?"

"We were suppose to got for lunch, but she's not home."

"That's strange. It's not like her to skip out. Unless-"

"Maybe she ran an errand and lost track of time. I'm sure she's fine."

As Bruce hung up he wondered if Arianna really was all right. He called her cell hoping she had it with her, but got worried when the phone rang from her purse. Now he knew something was definitely wrong.

* * *

Arianna had been tied and blind folded. Her heart was pounding as her fear rose. It wasn't until they arrived at their destination that the blindfold was removed. Arianna was standing in front of her neighbor, Adam.

"Hello, Arianna."

"Let me go. I know nothing."

"I can't take that chance."

"What are you going to do with me?" Arianna wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer.

"I haven't decided yet. I could kill you. I _should _kill you, but you may be useful to me."

"How?"

Adam gave her an evil grin. "That's for me to know and you to find out. Lock her up."

Arianna was dragged to a room and locked in; they did untie her. She was now wishing she had done something. How was anyone going to find her?

The room she was in only had a mattress and there were no windows.

_They must have prisoners often. _Arianna thought.

It was a scary thought. It made her wonder what these people did. Then again, she was sure she didn't want to know.

Sitting on the mattress, her thoughts went to Bruce. Would he know something happened to her? Or would he think she stood him up? Arianna shook her head. Bruce would never think that. He knows how much she wants this relationship to work.

* * *

Emma hadn't heard back from Bruce so she was hoping that he had found Arianna. Part of her was worried that something happened to her. She decided to call her friend to put her mind at ease. She drummed her fingers on the desk as the phone rang. Then it went to voice mail.

She didn't know whether she should be worried or not. Of course it was very inconsiderate of Bruce to call, asking about Arianna then not calling back to say if he found her or not. She would have called him if she knew his cell number.

A thought soon occurred to her and she left her desk with much haste. She was going to find some answers no matter what. Bruce should know that after his call she would be worried. If he wasn't going to tell her what was going on then she just had to find out for herself.

Emma knocked on the door and after hearing the person say enter, opened the door and walked in.

"Ms. Sawyer, what can I do for you?" Mr. Fox asked.

"Mr. Fox, I know you and Mr. Wayne are close. I'm wondering if you have his cell phone number."

"What do you need his cell number for?"

"He called me saying that he couldn't find Arianna and that was almost two hours ago. He hasn't called back and I'm worried. I think it's only kind of him to call me back letting me know that my best friend is all right. Just because he is dating her doesn't mean that I should be kept out of the loop. I don't care if they go off and do whatever, but I want to know that she's all right. He shouldn't keep things concerning Arianna from me. We're like sisters and he should call me back to let me know he found her."

"Are you done?"

Emma realized she went on a rant and was slightly embarrassed. "Yes. Sorry."

Mr. Fox smiled kindly at her. "That's all right. I understand you wanting to know the safety of your friend."

Mr. Fox gave Emma Bruce's cell number. She thanked him then went back to her desk to call him. After a few rings, Bruce answered.

"Bruce, how dare you not call me back. Did you find Arianna? Is she safe?"

"Emma," There was sadness in his voice which made Emma worry even more. "I don't want you to worry."

"You didn't find her, did you?"

"No."

"How can you tell me not to worry?"

"I've contacted the police and they will do all they can to find Arianna."

"Keep me updated if you find something out."

"I will. I promise."

Emma hung up, tears forming in her eyes. Her best friend was missing and there was nothing she could do. She was hoping that wherever Arianna was, she wasn't…Emma shook her head. She didn't even want to think about it.

* * *

Bruce hung up with Emma then continued to put on his bat suit. He wasn't sure where to start looking, but he wasn't going to give up. Arianna was out there somewhere He had found the note that raised many questions.

He took it to the police and they searched Arianna's house for any other clues. Now he was going to do his own search. He wasn't going to stop until he found Arianna.


	14. Chapter 14

Arianna wasn't sure how long she was locked up. The only time someone came in was to bring her food and to take her to the bathroom. She got little sleep since she was afraid of what would happen when she did close her eyes.

There were many times when Arianna thought she was going to break. She thought that she could refuse to eat and they would either let her go, kill her, or let her just starve and eventually kill herself. But then and image would appear in her mind. And that image that gave her comfort and the strength to continue on. That image was of Bruce and Emma. Arianna wanted to see them again and she was going to find a way out of here.

Right now she was in the bathroom, trying to figure a way out. The room had a window, but it had bars on it. The only thing she could think of was trying to make a run for it. The police weren't going to be able to find her and neither was Batman. She was on her own.

Talk brought Arianna out of her thoughts.

"Mike is coming tonight. Is everything in order?"

"Yes, sir. What are we going to do with the girl?"

"We'll give her to Mike. He's always looking for new women to entertain him."

Arianna did not like the sound of that. Whatever she was going to do she had better do it before tonight or she may not get another chance.

* * *

It had been three days since Arianna was kidnapped and there was still no sign of her. The police weren't having much luck and neither was Bruce. He searched all hours of the night and he would keep searching for as long as it takes. He kept a close eye on the news to see if someone had found her. He had mixed emotions when he didn't hear about her. She could still be alive. Or…no, he wasn't going to think about the alternative. Arianna was alive. He was sure of it.

At the moment, Bruce was in a meeting, though he couldn't concentrate on what was being said. His mind was on Arianna and he wanted to be out there looking for her. When the meeting did end he wasted no time in getting out of there. He wasn't surprised to find Emma waiting outside the room. She would always ask him if he found anything out.

"Bruce, it's been three days. Do you think-"

"No." Bruce interrupted her. "Arianna is still alive and I will find her."

"How? The police can't even find anything."

"Emma, go home."

"What?" Emma was taken aback by that.

"You have vacation time. You should take it."

"But-"

"No buts. I'll be fine without my best secretary for awhile."

"None of the others could ever get your coffee just the way you like it."

Bruce smiled. "Then you'll just have to make me double the coffee when you get back to make up for it. Now go home."

Emma nodded. She turned to leave, but only took a few steps before she ran to Bruce and gave him a hug.

"Thanks for helping me through this."

Bruce returned the hug. "You're welcome. And thank you for doing the same."

Emma then headed home and Bruce went to continue his search.

* * *

Arianna kept going over the plan in her head, though she wasn't sure how well it was going to work out. There were more of them than there were of her. She was going to try. It was better than being entertainment for some guy.

The door soon opened and two men came in. "It's time."

They tied her hands then led her out. It was going to be more of a challenge to escape when her hands were tied, but she still had to try. As they walked, Arianna scanned her surroundings for the best way to make her escape.

"You and I had a deal." Arianna heard Adam say.

"Well, if you wanted them so badly then you should have stolen them yourself." It was a new voice and Arianna thought she recognized it.

When she was brought into the room the other two men were in, what she saw shocked her.

"Michael?"

Michael looked over at her. "Arianna, it's been awhile. Is she your prisoner?" He asked in a casual manner.

"You know her?" Adam ignored his question.

"We use to date."

"You…you…you're in league with these criminals?" Arianna couldn't believe that she had dated a criminal and didn't even know it. How could have missed such a thing.

"I told you you weren't that smart. So Adam, you said you wanted to make another deal."

"Give me the artifacts and I will give you the girl."

"I've already had her. You need to come up with something better."

Arianna was tempted to give Michael a good kick, but there were more important things to worry about. Two men stood on either side of her so she would have to get passed them first. Taking a deep breath, Arianna made her move.

She quickly ran with the men close behind her. Arianna glanced back and saw they were right behind her. They went to tackle her, but she ducked, making them fall to the ground. Wasting no time, she stood up and took off running again. The first door she saw, she took. It was difficult to open it with her hands tied, but she eventually opened it. The door led to an alley.

Before Arianna could take another step, she was grabbed from behind. Then she did the only thing she could think of. She screamed for help.

Adam threw her against the wall. "Shut up. No one's coming to your rescue." Adam advanced on her.

There was nowhere for Arianna to go. She was sure that she would now be killed since they had no use for her. She closed her eyes, waiting for whatever was going to happen. What she heard, though, was something she did not expect. It sounded like someone had hit Adam and he fell to the ground.

Arianna opened her eyes and was surprised to see Batman. Before either of them could say or do anything, more men came out the door. Once they saw Batman, they open fired. He charged them. Arianna stayed back while Batman fought the men. She was so focused on him that she didn't pay attention to Adam. He stood up and grabbed Arianna, dragging her.

"Batman!"

"Shut up." Adam said. He pulled Arianna up. "I'm not going to let you ruin this for me."

Arianna wasn't sure what he meant and at the moment she didn't care. She just wanted to get away from him.

Batman ran and hit Adam. Arianna took this time to run behind Batman.

"You can't protect her forever."

It a quick movement, before anyone knew what happened, Adam took out a gun a shot at Batman, making him fall to his knees. Adam then pointed the gun at Arianna. He shot, but Arianna quickly ducked. Batman then got up, ran at Adam and punched him. While Adam was struggling to get up, Batman picked p Arianna, took out his grappling hook and shot it up.

When they landed on the roof, Arianna was shaking so much that she fell. Batman kneeled next to her.

"Are you all right?" He asked as he cut the rope tying her hands together.

"I…I'm not sure."

Batman helped Arianna up, but winced. Arianna look at his side. "You're hurt."

"I'll be fine. We need to get you to the police station."

Arianna felt guilty. Batman was hurt because of her. Here he was bleeding and the first thing he's doing is taking her to the police station. He should get himself to a doctor to have his wound looked at.

Batman must have guessed what she was thinking because he said, "Don't blame yourself. I've gotten in worse scrapes than this."

Arianna was silent for a moment before she said, "He'll come back for me. I won't be safe."

"I promise I won't let anything happen to you. I'll protect you no matter the cost."

Arianna glanced at him. "Why?"

This time it was Batman's turn to be silent. Then he said, "Because it's what I do."

Soon they arrived at the police station and Batman made sure Arianna was inside before he left. He wanted to stay with her, but he knew he had to take care of the gunshot wound or he wouldn't be much help to her.

The next few hours were chaotic. Arianna was questioned many times. By the tenth time she didn't want to explain it any more. It was something she wished she could forget, but she knew Adam would be back for her.

Arianna was now sitting in the Commissioner's office. "Arianna, we went to the place you mentioned. No one was there."

"They left?" Fear rose in Arianna. They would still be back for her, but when? What was she going to do?

"We can place you in protective services until this is resolved."

"When will that be? I don't want to spend the rest of my life in fear and being followed by cops."

"I understand. Until we come up with a better solution, I'm afraid you will have to have police protection."

Arianna nodded.

Arianna was finally allowed to call someone so she called Emma. Emma was relieved to hear from her friend and wasted no time in coming to the station to see her. They spent a couple hours there, just talking. Emma told Arianna that she could stay with her. Arianna declined.

"If I stay with you then you will be in danger. I can't do that to you."

"We'll have police protection."

Arianna shook her head. "I'm not putting you in danger."

Emma sighed in defeat. She knew she couldn't change Arianna's mind.

"You should go see Bruce. He's been very worried about you. I'll be in touch." Emma left and Arianna got police escorts to take her to Wayne manor. When she got there she convinced the police to stay outside.

"Ms. Arianna, it's so good to see you. We've bee so worried about you." Alfred said when he opened the door.

"It's good to see you too, Alfred. Is Bruce here?"

"He's up in his room. Follow me."

The door to Bruce's room was closed. Alfred knocked as he opened the door a little and peered in. "Master Wayne, you have a visitor."

"Send her in." Bruce finished buttoning up his shirt then turned towards Arianna. A smile appeared on both their faces. Alfred then left the two alone.

"I was so scared I'd never see you again." Arianna said.

Bruce walked up to Arianna and gave her a kiss. "I was so worried about you. I'm glad to see you safe."

"For awhile. The people who kidnapped me are going to come back for me. Commissioner Gordon said I have to have police follow me."

Arianna wrapped her arms around Bruce, making him wince. He tried to hide the pain, but Arianna wasn't fooled.

"Are you all right?"

"I'm fine."

Arianna stood back and looked at him. "You're lying."

"It's nothing." Bruce winced again as he subconsciously put his hand over his wound.

Arianna moved his hand and before he could say anything, she lifted up his shirt.

"You're hurt….in the same place Batman got shot." Arianna looked up at Bruce. "Bruce, you're Batman?"


	15. Chapter 15

Arianna straightened up as she looked Bruce in the eyes. It was no coincidence he had the same wound as Batman. Also, that would explain why he cancels on her last minute.

"I want the truth." Arianna said.

Bruce sighed. "I guess there's no point in hiding it anymore. I am Batman."

Arianna just stared at him without saying a word. Bruce was sure she was going to leave now, but what she did was unexpected. She hit him on the arm.

"What was that for?"

"That was for lying to me."

"I didn't lie. I just didn't tell the truth."

Arianna hit him again. "And that was for thinking you could get away with it."

"Can you not hit me anymore? I have enough bruises as it is."

"Were you ever going to tell me?"

"Yes, I just didn't know the right time. So, now what?"

"What do mean now what?"

"Now you know my dark secret. Are you going to leave?"

"Bruce, you're an idiot. Do you honestly think I'm going to leave you because you kept this from me?"

"Well, it is a big secret."

"Yes, it is, but I can get passed that. I love you and I would never leave you."

"Did you just say love?"

"Did I?"

"I believe you did."

Arianna tried to say something, but she couldn't even form a word. She kept opening and closing her mouth.

Bruce smiled. "You're cute when you're nervous." Bruce closed the distance between them. "I love you too." He kissed her and Arianna thought she would melt in his arms.

When they pulled apart, Arianna was smiling. "Wow."

"Wow to the kiss? Or wow to the fact that I love you too?"

"Both. I never thought I would fall for the famous Bruce Wayne and he would fall for me."

"It wasn't my fault. You tripped me."

"Wow, that was corny. So, now what?"

"Isn't that was I asked?"

"Yes, now I'm asking. They're going to come after me."

"I won't let them hurt you. I'll protect you, I promise. Right now I say we don't worry about it. You must be tired and hungry."

"I am tired."

"Then why don't we go lay down?"

"Together?"

Bruce laughed. "That was the idea."

Arianna gave a nervous laugh. "Of course."

"Unless you don't want to."

"No, I do."

Bruce smiled as he led her to the bed. It looked so big and comfy she was tempted to jump in it, but restrained herself.

Lying down next to Bruce put a smile on Arianna's face. He wrapped his arm around her and she felt safe and protected. For now, things were perfect.

* * *

When Arianna woke up, she had to remind herself where she was. For a second she thought she was still being held captive, but when she saw the smiling face of Bruce, she remembered what happened.

"How long have you been watching me?" Arianna asked.

Bruce shrugged. "Only for about half an hour. How are you feeling?"

"Dirty."

Bruce laughed. "Why don't you take a shower?"

"Because I don't have any clothes here."

"Then you can borrow some of mine."

Bruce helped her out of bed and showed her to the bathroom. He then left.

The warm water felt wonderful on her skin. As she watched the water go down the drain, she was hoping her worries would go with it. She knew that Adam would come after her again and even though she found out her boyfriend was Batman, it didn't ease her worry.

She was still trying to wrap her mind around Bruce Wayne, the prince of Gotham, was Batman. He would be the last person she suspected.

_I suppose that was the idea. _Arianna thought. _No one would ever suspect the playboy billionaire._

Once Arianna was finished showering, she dressed in Bruce's clothes that he had left for her. It felt strange, but at the same time it felt right. She wasn't sure how that worked out, but she wasn't going to question it.

"You look sexy in my clothes." Bruce said when Arianna walked out of the bathroom.

"Oh, so I don't look sexy in my own clothes?"

"No, that's not…I didn't mean…"

Arianna laughed. "You're cute when you're flustered."

Bruce smiled. "Are you hungry? Alfred is fixing some food."

"That sounds good."

It was good to eat food that Arianna knew wasn't poisoned. Alfred was surprised when she wanted a third helping while Bruce was still on his first. He was worried about Arianna's safety. He wouldn't always be around to protect her. And the men knew where she lived so she wouldn't be safe at her own place. If she wanted to, she could stay with Emma, but he would be worrying.

Alfred was just putting more food on Arianna's plate when Bruce said, "Why don't you stay here?"

Arianna looked at Bruce with confusion. "I am staying here."

"I mean move in with me. What better way for me to make sure your safe?"

"That and he misses you so much when you're apart. It's hard to get him to shut up." Alfred said.

Arianna laughed.

"Thanks, Alfred." Bruce said. "So, what do you say?"

"Are you asking because you just want to protect me? Or because you really do want me to move in with you?"

"I want to protect you and I do want you to move in with me."

"All right then it's decided. As long as Alfred doesn't mind."

"I don't mind at all, Ms. Cooper." Alfred smiled at her.

The rest of the day was spent moving Arianna's things to Bruce's place. Arianna called Emma to let her know what was going on and it wasn't long before she showed up at Arianna's apartment to help.

"So, you won't move in with me because you don't want me to be in danger, but you will move in with Bruce?" Emma asked. She didn't sound angry.

"That just shows that I love you more."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Sure."

Night soon came and Arianna was all moved into her new place. The three of them were standing outside as Arianna was saying bye to Emma.

"You better take good care of her, Bruce." Emma said.

"I will. You have my promise."

"And Arianna, don't forget to call your mom. She was so worried about you so you better let her know you're ok."

"I will do that. Thanks, Em."

Emma left as Arianna and Bruce went inside. It would be very strange living with Bruce in a mansion. She never dreamed she would be here with Bruce Wayne. Sometimes it still felt like a dream.

She turned to Bruce. "So what happens now? I will still need police protection which means they would probably be staying outside the house which could mean they would find out your secret and then what would happen? They may take you away or arrest you - I guess that's the same thing – What would happen when they take you away?"

Bruce put his hands on Arianna's shoulders. "Arianna, slow down and breathe. We'll figure it out."

"How?"

"Let me talk to Gordon and we'll go from there."

Bruce soon left – as Batman – to talk to Gordon. Arianna was left to call her mom. She wasn't afraid to call her mom to let her know that she was safe. She was just afraid of telling her that she was now living with Bruce Wayne. Her mother never did approve of the relationship.

"Would you like something to eat or drink, Ms. Cooper?" Alfred asked.

"Some hot cocoa would be nice if you have any."

"Yes, we do."

As Alfred left to fix the cocoa, Arianna called her mom. She didn't have to wait long for a response.

"Arianna, are you all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

"I was so worried when Emma called telling me you were kidnapped. What have you gotten yourself into this time?"

Arianna filled her mom in on what happened. After explaining everything, her mom was silent for a moment before she spoke.

"I think I will visit you."

"What?"

"Well, if you are living with the playboy billionaire then I need to meet him and make sure he is taking care of you."

"He's taking very good care of me, mom."

"Just the same I'll still visit. Besides, I haven't seen you in a while. I'll be there in a week."

"All right, I'll see you then."

Just as she hung up, Alfred came back with her hot cocoa.

"Here you are."

"Thanks, Alfred."

"Let me know if you need anything else."

* * *

Gordon wasn't surprised when Batman showed up in his office. Not only were they discussing how to find Adam and Michael, but they were also discussing on how to keep Arianna safe. Gordon knew that she didn't want to have police following her all the time, but there was no other way to make sure she would be safe.

Batman suggested he could keep her safe, but of course he couldn't be there all the time. He knew there was no way Arianna was going to stay in the mansion until the two men were caught.

"The police will still have to watch her during the day." Gordon said. "There's just no way around that."

"I suppose not."

"Are you sure you can keep an eye on her at night and the city?"

"I'm a multi-tasker. I'll manage."

"There's not much I can do about Adam and Michael. I don't even have a lead on where they would go, but I'll do all that I can."

"I think I may know of something."

Before Gordon could ask anything, Batman was gone.

As he was headed home, Bruce didn't know why he didn't think of it before. It was so obvious it should have been the first thing he thought of.

It was late by the time he got home and he was expecting to find Arianna asleep. Instead he found her and Alfred in the kitchen.

"I was sure you would be asleep by now." Bruce said as he sat next to Arianna.

"I was waiting for you. Alfred was keeping me company with stories and hot cocoa."

Bruce raised an eyebrow. "What kind of stories?"

"Nothing too embarrassing."

"I'm sure." He glanced at Alfred.

"I didn't tell her about that time you tried to go skiing and ended up with your head full in the snow." Alfred said.

Arianna laughed. "I would love to hear that one."

"Maybe another time." Bruce said. "Arianna, I need to ask you where Michael lives."

"If he hasn't moved then he lives in my hometown."

"I need to know where."

"You're going after him, aren't you?"

"Yes."

"Then I will tell you. What about my protection? Do I still need to be followed by police?'

"Yes, but not at night. I convinced Gordon to let Batman watch over you at night."

"I don't like it."

"I know, but until they are caught I don't want to risk losing you again. Next time I may not find you in one piece."

Arianna nodded. "I guess I can put up with the cops."

"Just for a little while. Now, I don't know about you, but I'm tired."

"Sleep sounds good. Good-night, Alfred."

"Good-night, Ms. Cooper. Don't forget to tell him about our guest."

"Guest? What guest?" Bruce asked as they made their way up the stairs.

"My mom is coming into town next week. She wants to meet you."

"She does't waste any time, does she? Will she be staying here?"

"No, she'll probably stay in a hotel. She doesn't really approve of you.'

"Oh, that's reassuring."

"Don't worry. Once she meets you she'll love you."

The two of them walked into Bruce's room…their room. Arianna was still getting use to the idea that she was living with Bruce Wayne. She smiled at the thought. The smile soon faded as she looked at Bruce.

"Bruce, be careful when you go after them."

"I'm always careful."

"Says the man who has a gunshot wound."

Bruce shrugged. "It's a job hazard."

"I don't want you to get hurt just because of me."

"I would do anything to keep you safe and if that means getting a little beat up so be it."

Arianna smiled. "You're impossible."

"But you still love me."

"Yes, I do. So, are you going to go after Michael tonight?"

"Not if you don't want me to."

"I don't. For tonight I want you to stay with me."

Bruce agreed and soon the two of them were lying in bed, drifting off to sleep.

* * *

**Wow, I think this is the longest chapter I have written. I hope you all are enjoying the story and thanks for reading ^_^**


	16. Chapter 16

Arianna awoke with disappointment when she saw that Bruce wasn't in bed, but a small smile crept on her face when she saw a single white rose on his pillow. She picked up the rose to smell it. She then noticed there was a note.

_Arianna,_

_ Sorry I'm not there to greet you when you wake. I had important business to take care of at work. If it wasn't important I wouldn't have gone in. I'll try to leave as fast as can. Stay safe._

_Love Bruce._

Arianna kept reading _Love Bruce. _She still couldn't believe that she was in love with the billionaire and he was in love with her. It all seemed too good to be true. Her mind then went to stay safe, groaning at the thought of being followed by the police. Even though Bruce told her not to worry about them watching the mansion, she couldn't help it. She didn't want everyone to find out Bruce's secret because of her.

She soon got out of bed and took a shower. Once she was ready to face the day, she made her way down to the kitchen where she found Alfred making breakfast.

"Morning, Alfred." She said as she sat down.

"Good-morning, Ms. Cooper. Are you hungry?"

"Yes, thank you, Alfred."

Alfred placed a plate of waffles, eggs, and bacon in front of Arianna. Breakfast was quiet. Arianna had much on her mind. It wasn't long before Alfred spoke, snapping Arianna out of her thoughts.

"You shouldn't worry so much."

"Who said I was worried?"

"I can sense these things. He doesn't think you moving in was a bad idea, you know?"

"Are you a mind reader?"

Alfred chuckled. "No. Master Bruce mentioned it. He's not worried and you shouldn't be either."

"Easy for you to say. If people find out Bruce is Batman it will be my fault and who knows what they will do. They might lock him up and then I'll never see him again. Bruce will probably be mad at me since I would be the one who would be responsible for him being in prison."

"Feel better?"

"Not really, but thanks for letting me get that out."

"I'm here to listen. So, what are your plans for today, Ms. Cooper?"

Arianna was silent as she glanced out the window. If she was going to go anywhere then she would have to be followed by police and she was not looking forward to that. And she definitely wasn't looking forward to being kidnapped again so she decided to play it safe.

"I think I'll just stay in for the day. My work was kind enough to give me a few weeks off which is good. I don't think parents would like the idea of police being around the school. If anything happened to one of them they would blame me."

"You're too hard on yourself."

"If you had a child in preschool with cops all around, wouldn't you be at least a little concerned?"

"I would be at ease knowing that my child was being safely watched."

After that, Arianna wandered around the house. She tried to keep herself busy because every time she sat down she would think about what happened while she was kidnapped and she feared that she was going to be kidnapped again and this time she won't be so lucky.

She tried not to think about the worst that could happen, but those thoughts kept popping up. At one point she tried distracting herself by watching television, but that did nothing to ease her mind.

Arianna's phone started ringing. Looking at caller ID she saw that it was Bruce.

"Hey Bruce, when are you going to be home?"

"Not for a while. I'm done with everything I need at work so I'm going after Michael. And yes, I'll be careful."

Arianna smiled. "You better be."

"I'll see you later."

As Arianna hung up, she couldn't help but be a little worried. She knew that Bruce could take care of himself, but even Batman wasn't immortal.

"Ms. Cooper, there is someone here to see you."

Arianna nodded as she followed Alfred. She was expecting to see the cops to either question her or try again to persuade her to go into protection. When she arrived in the front part of the house she was surprised at who she saw.

Emma smiled when she saw Arianna and ran to hug her best friend.

"What are you doing here?" Arianna asked,

"Mr. Wayne gave me time off so I thought I would come and bug you."

Arianna smiled. "Thanks. You don't mind if she stays for a while, do you, Alfred?"

"Of course not, Ms. Cooper. If you need anything just let me know."

"Thanks, Alfred."

"So, you have a butler now?" Emma asked.

"He works for Bruce. You know I'm too stubborn and independent to have other people do things for me."

"Yes, I do. After you were recovering from your knee surgery you refused any help from anyone even though the doctor told you to take it easy. So is Bruce still working?"

"Um, yeah. He said he may be working late."

"And here I thought he would be stay by your side until all of this is over."

"Well, he does have a company to run. He can't drop everything for me."

"He at least calls to check up on you, right?"

"Yes. You're starting to sound like my mom."

Emma laughed. "Someone has to keep an eye on you since she's not here."

For the rest of the day the two friends hung out. It was good having Emma around since it took Arianna's mind off everything that was going on. There were times that she wondered how Bruce was doing. She couldn't wait until he came back so she could see him and know that this would all be behind her.

The two friends sat outside as they gazed up at the stars and reminisced about old times when things seemed much simpler. Neither of them had expected they would end up in Gotham and Arianna definitely didn't see herself dating Bruce Wayne. It's strange that when they were younger all they wanted to do was grow up. Now that they are adults they wished they were kids again.

"Say it." Arianna said, still gazing at the stars.

Emma looked at her. "Say what?"

"Whatever it is you want to say." Arianna looked at her friend. "I know you've been wanting to say something so what is it?"

Emma sighed. "Sometimes I hate that you know me so well."

There was silence between them as Arianna patiently waited for Emma to speak. After a few minutes, Emma finally spoke.

"How did you not know what Michael was up to?" She said in barely a whisper, but Arianna still heard.

Arianna looked back up at the stars. "I guess I was just blind. People do say that love blinds you. All those nights he didn't get home until two or three in the morning I just assumed he was working late. Maybe I knew that he was up to no good, but I didn't want to believe it. If a person doesn't want someone to know what they're doing they will find a way to keep it secret. There are still a few things you don't know that I've done." Arianna added, trying to lighten the mood.

"Like what?"

"Now if I told you they wouldn't be secrets anymore." Arianna stood and began walking back to the house.

Emma followed her. "Ari, that's not fair. Best friends aren't supposed to keep secrets from each other. Arianna Michelle Cooper! Answer me."

Arianna laughed as she continued walking. Emma ran to catch up to her.

When they got back inside, they noticed Bruce still wasn't back. Emma offered to stay, but Arianna assured her that she would be fine.

"Besides, I have Alfred with me."

"Oh yeah, I can just picture it now. People try to kidnap you again, but they fail because of woman and an old man fended them off."

"I'm not that old." Alfred said.

"And just because I'm a woman doesn't mean I can't defend myself."

Emma laughed. "I know. You're more than capable of handling yourself. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

Emma then left.

"What's with the sad face, Ms. Cooper?"

"Emma's wrong. I can't handle myself or else I wouldn't have been kidnapped in the first place."

"Even the most skilled person can be caught off guard."

"Maybe, but I don't even know how to defend myself. The most I can do is throw a frying pan at someone."

"Why a frying pan?"

Arianna shrugged. "It hurts a lot."

"I'm sure there's a story behind that and I don't want to know."

Arianna laughed.

Bruce came home soon after that. Arianna practically ran to him when she heard him come in. Her smile quickly faded though when she saw Bruce's face.

"What happened? Did you find him?"

"Arianna, I couldn't find him. I searched the house and other areas in the city. If he's there, he's in hiding."

Fear rose in Arianna. And it wasn't just Michael they had to find. They had to find Adam also. Where could they have gone?

"Don't worry, Arianna. I'll find them. You'll be safe, I promise."

"For how long?"

"For as long as it takes. I won't let anything happen to you."

"Bruce, will you teach me how to fight. I'm not wanting to be your sidekick or anything." She quickly added when she saw the look on Bruce's face. "You aren't going to be around all the time to protect me. I just need to know the basic stuff so I can at least put up a good fight."

Bruce nodded. "I suppose it would be a good idea. I don't want to think about it, but there may be a time you will have to protect yourself."

"Thanks."

Arianna didn't want to think about it either. Of course, even if she wasn't being chased by people who want her dead, it would be good to know how to defend herself since she was living in Gotham City.


	17. Chapter 17

Over the next week, Bruce would take some time to teach Arianna how to fight when he wasn't working or looking for Michael and Adam. Arianna still had a fear that she was going to be kidnapped during the night, but her fear was slowing fading since she knew Bruce was with her and she was confident that she could put up a good fight now.

At the moment, the couple was outside as Bruce was teaching Arianna how to block a punch. She quickly learned how to throw a punch even though she didn't use her full strength since she didn't want to hurt Bruce. He had told her that it was ok to give it all she had and after some more convincing she finally used full force. She didn't hit him, but at least she knew how to punch. Bruce, of course, didn't use his full strength on Arianna which only frustrated her.

"Bruce, how am I supposed to learn to block if you don't use your full strength? Adam and those goons aren't going to go easy on me."

"You can still learn to block. The last thing I need is to hurt you especially with your mother coming." He mumbled the last part.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

Arianna raised an eyebrow, but said nothing else.

"I hate to cut this short." Bruce said as he looked at his watch. "I have a meeting I need to attend to." He gave her a kiss then started walking.

"Don't forget my mom is coming today and we're having dinner with her tonight."

"I haven't forgotten."

Arianna sighed as she headed inside, hoping tonight would go well.

Later that night, Arianna was on her way to pick her mom up from the hotel she was staying at. She fidgeted with the hem of her shirt.

"Don't worry, Ms. Cooper." Alfred said. "Everything will be all right."

"Easy for you to say. My last relationship didn't end so well and now I'm dating Bruce Wayne who has been labeled the playboy billionaire. My mom wasn't happy when I told her so I'm sure tonight will be very…tense."

"Have I told you that you worry too much?"

Arianna smiled. "All the time."

When they arrived at the hotel, Arianna was excited to see her mom. As they were walking back to the car her mom asked her how she had been doing and if she still had police protection.

"Mom, this is Alfred. Alfred, this is my mom Sara." Arianna introduced when they got back in the car.

"Must be nice to have a chauffeur." Sara said. "So, where is the famous Bruce Wayne?"

"He had to work late so he's meeting us at the restaurant."

"I'm sure he is."

Arianna knew by the tone in her mother's voice that she thought Bruce was off with some other woman. She didn't blame her mom for thinking that. Before Arianna herself got to know Bruce she thought he was shacking up with a girl every night.

They went to one of the restaurants Bruce owned so the bill was already taken care of. Everyone knew the face of Arianna and that she was dating Bruce so she and her mom were given a good table. They were there for twenty minutes when Arianna's phone vibrated. Looking at it she saw a text from Bruce.

_Got a lead on Adam. Sorry, but I have to check it out._

Arianna sighed. She was hoping this night would go the way she planned. She could just hear what her mother would say when she told her that Bruce wasn't coming. Arianna texted a quick reply then looked at her mom.

"He isn't coming, is he?" Sara said.

"He got held up at work. Don't give me that look."

"How do you know if he's actually at work? For all you know he could be-"

"He's not, mom. I know Bruce."

"How well? I've seen him in the news with the many women he has on each arm. I'm only saying this because I want what's best for you. I think you should break it off with him."

"I'm not going to do that. As I said, I know Bruce. He isn't cheating on me. He runs a company so of course he's going to be working late nights."

"I've always questioned your taste in men. First it was that boy in high school that tried to get you arrested. Then it was Michael who turned out to be a criminal. Now it's Bruce Wayne who also has a bad reputation."

"Mom, that boy in high school was William. And he wasn't all to blame. I was going through a rebellious stage. All teenagers do. I didn't even know what Michael was up to."

"I don't see how you couldn't.'

"People are good at keeping secrets when they don't want to get caught. Bruce is different and if you give him a chance you would see that. Don't believe everything you hear."

And that ended the conversation.

The rest of dinner went by with little talk. Occasionally Arianna tried to talk about how life was back home, but somehow the conversation always ended up back on her and her relationship with Bruce.

It was nice to see her mom again, but it was also nice when she went back to the hotel. Arianna was irritated that Bruce didn't show up and mad that her mom wouldn't even give him a chance. Alfred didn't bother asking how dinner went. He could tell by the look on Arianna's face that it didn't go well. It also looked like she would snap at the next person who spoke to her and he didn't want to get yelled at.

When they got back home, Arianna tried waiting up for Bruce. She lay in bed as she thought about yelling at him when he came back, but then thought against it. He was out looking for Adam so she wouldn't have to live in fear any more. He was only trying to protect her and she couldn't be mad at him for that. Eventually, she fell asleep.

The next morning, Arianna woke to the sight of a vase with roses. She glanced around the room and when she didn't see Bruce she made her way to the kitchen, hoping he was there. A smile appeared on her lips when she saw him sitting at the table.

"Are the roses your way of apologizing?" She asked as she sat next to him.

"Yes. Am I forgiven?"

"You are by me since I knew what you were really up to, but my mom is a different matter."

"Was she that upset?"

"You have no idea. We are going to have dinner again and I don't care if the city is on fire. You're coming."

"I guess it wouldn't be nice to blow her off twice."

"Nope. She might actually hunt her down. That actually might be fun to watch."

"Thanks for your support."

"You're welcome."

After breakfast, Bruce went to work and Arianna went to spend the day with her mom. She was glad that her mom didn't bring up any more talk about her breaking up with Bruce. She knew that when she brought up dinner then her mom would go off again and that's exactly what she did. Arianna tried to change the subject, but when her mom got on something it was hard to get her on something else.

By the time dinner came around, Arianna reminded her mother to be nice. Of course, Sara wasn't expecting Bruce to show up. She was surprised when she saw him, but she didn't let it show.

"Hello, Ms. Cooper." He said as he held out his hand.

Sara looked at his hand like it was a bug that needed to be squashed, but shook it nonetheless. "Mr. Wayne."

Bruce looked at Arianna as if to ask if he could leave.

To Arianna's surprise, dinner went pretty well. Her mother hadn't once said anything rude to Bruce or mention they should break up. She should have known, however, that it wouldn't last. When they were almost done with dinner, Sara spoke up.

"What are your intentions with my daughter, Mr. Wayne?"

"Intentions?"

"I've heard of your reputation and I don't want Arianna to be cast aside and get hurt."

"I can assure you that won't happen."

"Saying and doing are two different things."

"Mom, please don't."

Arianna was ignored as her mother continued.

"If you hurt her I will hunt you down and everything you find pleasurable about being a man will be cut away."

Bruce crossed his legs. "Understood ma'am."

Arianna put her head in her hands, not believing the threat her mother just made to her boyfriend.

Both Arianna and Bruce were relieved when dinner was over.

"Well, that was an…interesting dinner." Bruce said after they dropped off Sara at the hotel.

"I am so sorry."

"It's all right. She's just looking out for you. And now I know not to get on her bad side."

"Yeah, she can be overprotective of me sometimes. I suppose that also comes with being abandoned by my dad."

Bruce glanced at Arianna. He knew that her father was no longer in the picture, but she didn't really talk about him and he wasn't going to pry.

"I think she's worried about me getting pregnant and the guy leaving the way my dad left us. He left when I was seven. I remember my parents arguing, but I don't know what about. Then he just left. Never heard or saw from him again."

"That's his loss. And just so you know, I would never abandon you. Not sure I'm ready to have a baby yet, though."

"Yeah, me either."

Arianna hadn't given it much thought. She knew that she wanted to have a baby at some point, she just didn't know when. And now that it was brought up she wondered if it could ever work. Bruce was a busy man with running a company and being Batman. Would he have time to be a father? That was something she really had to consider before the relationship went any further.

* * *

The next day, Arianna went shopping with Emma. With everything that happened between her mom and Bruce she had to get things off her mind. She relayed to Emma everything that happened. Emma laughed when Arianna told her about her mom threatening Bruce.

"I can so see your mom saying that. That would make having babies difficult." Emma said as she browsed a rack of shirts.

That was another thing she wanted to talk about, but she couldn't very well tell Emma that Bruce was Batman.

"What is going on in that mind of yours?" Emma asked.

"Well…Bruce and I haven't really talked about it. You know I want a kid, but I don't know about Bruce. And with him running a business and all that I don't know if he would have time to be a father."

"You should talk to him about it." Emma went to another rack of clothes. "Bruce doesn't talk about his parents, but I'm sure he wasn't neglected as a child. His father did own the company before Bruce did. Bruce would make time for his kid."

Arianna sighed. "Maybe you're right, but it's not easy to bring up. I don't know exactly how far this relationship is going to go or if it's even that serious."

Emma looked at her friend. "That's why you talk to him. Communication is key to any successful relationship."

Arianna raised an eyebrow. "Have you been reading those relationship magazines?"

"Hey, they have some good advice in those magazines. You should read Cosmo sometime. I'm sure you would get some brilliant ideas on how to turn Mr. Wayne on." Emma browsed through some clothes for a moment before she looked back at her friend. "Have you two even done anything yet?"

"Nothing passed kissing."

"How can you sleep in the same bed as Bruce Wayne and not do anything?"

Arianna glanced around as she shushed her friend. "Not so loud."

Emma laughed. "Nothing to be ashamed of. If it were me I would have his clothes off the moment I walked through his door.

"I know you would."

"I'm glad I have such an understanding friend like you."

Arianna shook her head as the two of them made their way out of the store. Not seeing anything they liked they decided to go to the next store.

"You know, since you are dating Bruce you should be able to get some money from him and we can go shopping at the expensive stores."

"I'm not a gold-digger."

"Didn't say you were. It would just be nice if he shared his money."

"His money only becomes mine when we're married."

The two friends continued to joke and laugh as they walked across the street to another store. Arianna went to open the door, but before she even touched it, a loud bang was heard.

The next few minutes went by in slow motion. People were running and screaming as cops rushed towards Arianna. Out of the corner of her eye, Arianna didn't see Emma. She turned and saw Emma lying on the ground, a pool of blood forming around her. Arianna collapsed to the ground as one of the cops tried to pull her away, but she refused to leave her friend's side.

* * *

**I'm evil, aren't I? I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I'll try not to make you wait too long for the next chapter ^_^**


	18. Chapter 18

Arianna was vaguely aware of what was going on around her. She remembered getting in the ambulance with Emma, tears running down her face as she watched the EMT's try to save her best friend. When they arrived at the hospital, Arianna stayed by Emma's side until they took her into surgery.

She didn't know how long she had been standing there, staring at the door. She finally moved when she decided to make some calls.

As soon as Sara came, she bombarded Arianna with questions.

"Mom, I don't want to talk about it right now. My friend is lying in the operating room, fighting for her life." Arianna sat in one of the chairs, head in her hands as tears streamed down her face.

Sara sat next to her and put an arm around her. "I'm sorry, dear."

Silence fell upon them. A few times Sara opened her mouth to say something, but thought against it so said nothing.

Arianna glanced up and saw Bruce walking in. She ran to him; he embraced her.

"I came as soon as I could. Are you all right?" He asked as he looked at her.

"I'm fine. Emma…she's….it's my fault. They were trying to get me, but she's the one who…it's my fault."

"It's not your fault. Emma's strong. She'll pull through this."

The next few hours were torture to Arianna. Every minute felt like an eternity. It only got worse when Commissioner Gordon came to ask exactly what had happened. As Arianna explained, Bruce held her hand which comforted her.

Arianna then asked the one question she desperately wanted to know the answer. "Did you catch them?"

Gordon shook his head. "Not yet, but we will. You are going to have police protection 24/7. We will also have a cop stationed outside of your friend's room." He added when Arianna went to say something, seeming to know what she was going to ask.

"Thank you."

There was more waiting after Gordon left. Hours had passed and still no word on how Emma was doing. Arianna was about to go ask someone when the doctor came up.

"She survived the surgery." The doctor said. "She's in a stable condition, but the next few days will still be critical."

"Can I see her?"

The doctor nodded.

Sara and Bruce stayed back while Arianna went to see Emma. Emma was still unconscious. Seeing her best friend hooked up to machines made Arianna feel worse.

"I'm so sorry, Emma." Arianna said as she sat in a chair. "I should be the one lying there, not you."

Arianna was allowed to stay passed visiting hours. She figured Bruce had something to do with that. She was grateful to him. He stayed with her even though she told him he could go look for Adam and Michael. Or even go home and sleep. Bruce insisted on staying with her, saying that she needed him and this is where he was going to stay.

Hours had passed and Arianna had yet to get any sleep. Bruce told her that she should get some rest.

"What if she wakes up? I should be awake when she does."

"I'll stay up and if she wakes then I'll wake you up. You need sleep, Arianna."

Reluctantly, Arianna nodded. She laid on one of the more comfortable chairs in the room and soon drifted off to sleep.

Bruce felt responsible for what happened. He thought that maybe if he searched more he would have found Michael and Adam. He glanced at Arianna. She was the one they were aiming for, but somehow they hit Emma. He was thankful that Arianna wasn't hurt. He didn't know what he would do if she was the one lying in that bed.

He did worry about Emma. She wasn't just his secretary. She had also become his friend. He did admit that before, he didn't think twice about Emma. She was his secretary and the only interaction they had was at work and the few occasions she called him to confirm something. Then Arianna came and when they started dating, Bruce also had to deal with Emma a lot more. He didn't complain since Emma was a nice person. And when Arianna was kidnapped, the friendship between him and Emma grew.

When Arianna awoke, it felt like she barely got any sleep. She glanced over at Emma who was still unconscious. Her eyes then landed on Bruce who was sitting in a chair next to Emma's bed; he was awake.

"Did you stay awake the whole night?" She asked.

Bruce looked at her. "I told you I would."

"That's true, but I didn't think you would actually stay awake. I was sure you were going to fall asleep."

"I wouldn't be able to sleep even if I wanted to. Too much on my mind."

Arianna stood and wrapped her arms around him. "You shouldn't blame yourself."

"How do you know I'm blaming myself?"

"I think I know you at least a little bit by now. You've done everything you can and have put your life on the line to save mine."

"I didn't catch Adam or Michael. If I had then Emma wouldn't be fighting for her life."

"You may be Batman, but you can't catch every criminal. Bad things happen no matter how much you try to avoid it. As you said, Emma's strong. I'm sure she'll pull through this. And Michael and Adam will be caught eventually. Things have a tendency to work out on the end."

Bruce said nothing. He knew he couldn't save everyone, but he still felt guilty when someone he cared about got hurt.

"I'm going to get some coffee. Would you like anything?"

"No, thank you."

Arianna kissed Bruce then left the room.

Bruce felt like he had to do something more. He had asked the police if they had caught Michael or Adam, but they hadn't. That was a few hours ago and still there was no word.

"Good-morning, Mr. Wayne."

Bruce jumped slightly as he turned to look at Sara. He had forgotten that she also stayed the night. How long had she been awake? And how much had she head?

"Morning, Ms. Cooper."

"Still no change in Emma?"

"No."

Silence fell upon them for a moment. Bruce was about to go find Arianna when Sara spoke.

"I must say, that I have misjudged you."

That took Bruce by surprise.

"I have seen you with Arianna. You never left her side through all this. You were always there comforting her. There may be a good man in you yet."

"Um, thank you."

Sara smiled.

Arianna was coming back from getting coffee when she overheard two police talking. She stopped and hid behind the corner so she wouldn't be seen.

"Just got a call. Adam has been caught and some of the other cops cornered Michael. The commissioner wants us to go for backup."

"For one man?"

The cop shrugged. "They don't know how many men Michael has with him and I guess he said he planted a bomb somewhere in the city."

The cops left, leaving Arianna with many thoughts. Why would Michael plant a bomb? Exactly what was he planning? She was relieved that Adam was caught, but still scared that Michael was still out there. Hopefully the police would catch him without anyone getting hurt. She still couldn't believe she had fallen in love with that guy. How could she not have known what he was really up to?

When she got back to Emma's room, she was surprised at what she saw. Bruce and her mom were talking without glaring or snide remarks.

"Ari, what's the matter?" Her mom asked when she saw Arianna standing the doorway.

"I think I just entered the Twilight Zone."

Sara chuckled. "Bruce and I have just gotten to know each other better."

"Should I be worried?"

"Of course not. Now I'm going to get something to eat." Sara left the room.

Arianna glanced at Bruce. "Exactly what were you two talking about?"

"Nothing much. She just finally realized that I'm a great guy."

Arianna smiled as she sat in the chair. "Well, it's good you two are getting along now. Shoot, I forgot to get cream for my coffee."

"I'll get it." Bruce went to stand, but Arianna pushed him back down.

"I can get it. Be right back."

It wasn't long before Sara came back. "Where's Arianna?"

"She went to get cream. I thought you two would run into each other."

"I didn't see her there."

Bruce suddenly got a bad feeling. He walked out of the room and asked the cop if there was any word about Adam and Michael. When the cop told him, Bruce realized where Arianna might have gone. He walked back into the room, grabbed his coat and looked through his pockets.

"She took my keys."

"But she's afraid to drive ever since her accident. Where would she be going?"

Bruce knew that Arianna wanted revenge so that pushed all fear of driving from her mind. "I'll find her and bring her back."

As Bruce made his way to the front of the hospital he called Alfred to come pick him up.

* * *

Arianna hadn't driven for a while, but she wasn't scared any more. Her mind was more focused on getting to Michael. He had hurt her greatly and possibly responsibly for her best friend lying in the hospital. She turned on the police scanner Bruce kept in the car, listening to exactly where Michael was cornered.

When she arrived at the place Michael was hiding out at, she saw there was no way she was getting in the front. It was blocked by police and their cars. Commissioner Gordon was on the front line with a megaphone, trying to talk Michael to give himself up without hurting anyone.

Arianna glanced around and saw an alley. Quickly and silently, she made her way around the cops and through the alley. She walked to the back of the building and through the back door. At first Arianna didn't know where she was since her only thought was on Michael. When she passed a room and glanced in, she knew exactly where she was. This was the place she had been kept for three days. That only angered her more.

Michael was too busy yelling at the cops to notice Arianna sneak in behind him. Arianna planned to take him by surprise, but she stepped on a piece of glass making Michael turn around. She cursed under her breath.

"Ari, so good to see you." He pointed his gun at her. "What do you plan on doing?"

"I want to know why. Why did you choose me?"

"When I met you, I was only going to stay long enough to sleep with you for a while. I never expected to…I had a plan and you messed it up. I had to do something to get back on track. It was going perfectly."

Arianna got the feeling that he wasn't talking to her anymore. The more he talked the more confused she got.

"Michael, are you still in there?" Gordon asked from outside.

Michael shook his head then turned towards the door. "Yes. Give me what I want or I'll blow up part of the city."

"Why?" Arianna asked.

Michael looked at her. "Why? Because I can. This is not how it was supposed to turn out."

Michael began mumbling to himself. Arianna took this time to kick the gun out of Michael's hand. Before Michael realized what happened, Arianna picked up the gun and pointed it at him.

"What are you going to do, Arianna? Shoot me?"

"It's a thought."

"Do you even know how to use it?"

"Let's find out."

For the first time, Michael looked scared.


	19. Chapter 19

Arianna slid her finger on the trigger. Michael just stared at her. He didn't think she was really going to do it, but half of him was afraid that she actually would.

She began to squeeze the trigger. Before she could go through with it, Batman jumped down from the rafters and landed next to her.

"You don't want to do this, Arianna." He said.

"Stay out of this, Batman."

"Arianna, you aren't a killer. You're better than that."

"He shot Emma."

"Shooting him won't change that. What would Emma think when she finds out you took a man's life?"

Arianna was silent, her finger still on the trigger. She wanted to do it. She should do it after everything he had done. Batman was unsure of what Arianna was going to do. He stayed ready in case she did fire.

She let out a small sob as she threw the gun to the ground. Michael took this opportunity to make his escape, but Batman was quicker. It only took one punch to bring Michael down. Batman then grabbed Michael, pulled him to his feet, and started dragging him outside.

"Wait." Michael said.

Batman stopped. "What?"

Michael looked over at Arianna. "I didn't try to shoot you or Emma."

Arianna glanced up at him, but said nothing. Batman then continued dragging him outside where the police arrested him. Batman came back inside and kneeled next to Arianna.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what I was thinking. I shouldn't have…"

"It's all right. I'm just glad you didn't do it. Now let's get you out of here."

Arianna nodded only after making him promise that he wouldn't tell her mom what she had done.

Arianna and Bruce soon arrived back at the hospital. Sara hugged her daughter, asking where she had been.

"I just went for a drive to clear my head."

"Since when did you start driving again?"

Arianna shrugged. "Recently. I got over my fear."

It wasn't long before Commissioner Gordon stopped by letting Arianna know they caught both Michael and Adam. They also recovered what was stolen. Arianna couldn't help ask if that means she no longer needed police protection. Gordon laughed as he said she didn't. If he knew Arianna was at the warehouse with Michael he didn't say anything about it. She was thankful for that and to Bruce who said nothing to her mom.

That night, Arianna was still sitting with Emma. She tried reading a book to keep her mind occupied, but it wasn't working. She kept on thinking Emma wasn't going to make it and how her life would change without her best friend being there. Arianna took a deep breath as she tried to push those thoughts from her mind.

"Did anyone get the license plate number of the one who hit me?"

Arianna put her book down and looked at Emma who had her eyes opened.

"Emma, you're awake. How do you feel?"

"Fantastic. I should get shot more often."

"Good to see you still have your sense of humor."

"Hey Emma." Bruce said as he appeared next to Arianna.

"What is my boss doing here?"

"I was concerned for my favorite secretary."

"Aw, how sweet. So, when do you want me to return to work?"

"Not for a few weeks. You still need to heal."

"Will I at least still get paid?"

"It's always about money with you, isn't it?"

Emma smiled. "Of course."

Emma continued getting better, though Arianna couldn't help but still feel a little guilty. Emma had told her dozens of times that it wasn't her fault and to stop blaming herself. Arianna didn't tell Emma what she almost did. She knew how Emma would react and would probably get a lecture. She got enough of that from Bruce.

Things were starting to go back to normal…well, as normal as things can be with a vigilante as a boyfriend.

There was one thing still bothering her, though she tried to forget it. She tried talking to Bruce about it, but he told her to forget it. Michael and Adam were in jail so they should just put what happened in the past. That was easier said than done. One day when Bruce was at work, Arianna went to get the answers she needed.

Arianna paced back and forth in the room. She knew that she should just forget everything like Bruce said to do, but she couldn't. Arianna stopped pacing when she heard the door open. Glancing over, she saw Michael walk in.

"Arianna, I'm surprised you're here." He said as he sat down. "Why are you here?"

Arianna also took a seat. "I'm not here to apologize if that's what you're thinking. I just need you to answer a few things. Were you telling the truth when you said you didn't try to shoot me?"

"Yes. I may be many things and I may have hurt you, but I would never try to kill you. I'm assuming it was Adam or someone he hired."

"Why would he want me dead?"

"Same reason he kidnapped you. And with you dead you couldn't testify against him."

"Why was Adam so determined to get the artifact?"

"You're starting to sound like a cop. Are you doing a career change?"

"No. I was just curious."

"Well, if you want to know that then talk to the police about it. Is that all?"

"One more thing. What were you talking about in the warehouse?"

Michael was silent and Arianna thought that he wasn't going to answer her. She was about to stand up when he spoke.

"I only meant to get with you to sleep around. I never expected…" Michael trailed off.

"Never expected to what?"

"I never expected to fall in love with you. My job was thievery and a while after I met you, I was slipping. Bosses don't like it when their thieves slip up. So, I began sleeping with other women to try and forget my feelings for you."

"And how did that work out for you?"

"I still thought about you. From what I hear, you've done better for yourself. What's it like dating Bruce Wayne?"

"Better than dating you."

Arianna stood and walked to the door. She knocked and the guard opened the door.

"Did I answer all your questions?" Michael asked as he turned to see her.

"Yes. Thank you." She then left.

"I don't think Master Bruce is going to like this." Alfred said when Arianna got back in the car.

"He doesn't have to like everything I do. I just had to know."

"And did you get the answers you were looking for?"

"I think I did."

Arianna didn't know what to think about what Michael had told her. She wasn't sure if she believed him about not shooting at her…then again; it was Adam who was responsible for kidnapping her.

Arianna shook her head. She really shouldn't think so much. What's done is done as Emma has told her on many occasions.

Bruce didn't come home until later that evening. Arianna let Alfred have the night off and decided to make dinner even though Alfred insisted on making dinner. She had to push him out of the room and even then he was still insisting on make dinner.

By the time Bruce arrived home, Arianna was just finishing setting the table.

"Are you cooking?" Bruce asked as he walked in.

"Don't sound so afraid. I'm not that bad."

"I know. What did you do with Alfred?"

"Tied him up in a closet. Well, sit down and enjoy."

Bruce gave Arianna a skeptical look, but said nothing as he sat down and began putting food on his plate.

Arianna asked the usually questions such as "How was your day?" Bruce talked about one of the meetings he had to attend and how his temporary secretary was doing.

"I miss Emma. She's the only one who can get my coffee just the way I like it."

"That's the only reason you keep her around, isn't it?"

"You found out my secret. So, how was your day?"

Arianna said nothing at first as she shoved food in her mouth. It wasn't that she wanted to keep it a secret that she visited Michael. It was just she knew how Bruce felt about her going to see him alone.

Once she swallowed the food in her mouth she responded, "I went to see Michael."

"For any particular reason?"

"I wanted to know if he was the one to shoot at me and Emma. I also wanted to know what he was babbling about in the warehouse."

"And how did that go?"

"Well, he denied shooting at us." Bruce had a look that said of-course-he-did. "He also said that he was just with me for the sex and he found himself falling in love with me and that's why he started sleeping with other women."

"Do you believe him?"

Arianna shrugged. "I guess it doesn't really matter if I do. I can't change what's happened, though it does put my mind at ease to get some answers even if they are lies."

"Do you still love him?"

"I suppose part of me will always love him. You can't just suddenly fall out of love with someone. Michael is in the past and as corny as it may sound, you are my future. I love you, Bruce."

"I love you too, but you shouldn't have gone alone."

"I knew that was coming. It's not like he could hurt me. There were prison guards there. And after the trial I will never have to think about this ever again."

Lucky for Arianna, she didn't have to wait long for the trial. It was her testimony that put Michael and Adam away. Now that she knew they were behind bars for at least a few years, Arianna felt safe and free. For the first time in a long time she could go where she wanted without worry of being followed by police. Or being kidnapped and shot at.

"So, what are you going to do now that you don't have anything to worry about?" Emma asked as she, Arianna, and Bruce walked out of the courthouse.

Arianna shrugged. "Continue with life I guess."

"I was thinking of a vacation." Bruce said.

"And where would we go?"

"Anywhere you want."

"Anywhere? How about the Oregon coast?"

"He offers you anywhere and you choose Oregon?" Emma asked, which earned her a slap on the head. "Hey, no hitting the injured."

"Be grateful I slapped you on the head and not your side."

"You're so cruel, Ari."

"Money isn't an issue, Arianna." Bruce said. "Anywhere in the world you want to go and we'll go."

"I feel like I'm asking for too much."

"You aren't asking. I'm offering. Where do you want to go?"

"Well, I've always wanted to go to Ireland."

"Then Ireland it is."

"Are you sure?"

"You're dating a billionaire. I don't think he minds spending money that he has." Emma said.

Arianna smiled. "Ok, so when do we leave?"

"Whenever we want. I do have my own airplane."

"I could get used to this." Arianna wrapped her arms around Bruce's neck, pulling him in for a kiss.

"On that, I think I'll leave you two and go home to rest." Emma said as she began to walk away, leaving Arianna and Bruce in their own little world.

* * *

**And that concludes Her Savior, His Light. Thank you all for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. I was having a little difficulty trying to figure out how to end this so hopefully it's ok. **


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